Giveon.

“It’s not Give-on, it’s not G-von, it’s Give-e-on.” Giveon.

Learn it and learn it well, I think this man could be in our music futures for quite some time. He’s classic and modern. His voice soothes your soul while the music sweeps you away. He has tapped into an emotional space that few artists tap into, and from interviews he’s done, he has seemed mature and wise and, maybe like he’s going through an awakening. Whatever he is going through, he has really applied the lessons he has learned to his life. Rising artist with more success on the way? You’re doing it, man.

Before we dive into the music, I want to take a moment. I don’t want to brush past all that is happening in the world. I spoke honestly on my last post, and I have had plenty of time to think lately. I debated posting anything anymore. There are so many huge problems in the world, shouldn’t my time be used in some other way? Shouldn’t I be contributing to the world in some helpful way? As these thoughts weighed on me, I turned to music for the answer. Music is there for all of us at all times. In celebratory times and in times of despair, music is there to help us expand on our feelings, while also creating space at the same time. It’s pretty insane the power music has. So why wouldn’t I write about music and its impact? Why would I give up this creative outlet where I can take time to breathe and to feel and share? We are going to continue on. Although there are serious issues that we all can and should get involved in, I hope while you’re here, you’re taking a few moments to escape into this world of music and take a few deep breaths. We all need a way to cope, and I believe music is that coping mechanism we all benefit from. Enjoy your time here, and keep fighting. 

With this, I present to you, Giveon.

It may appear Giveon shot to fame recently after this feature with Drake, but Giveon has been working on music over the last several years. Living and working in Long Beach, CA, Giveon grew up interested in music, but didn’t see how he would fit into the equation. Luckily, his mother had a bit of vision for him, and pushed him to keep singing. He started to find his way after attending a summer camp program at the Grammy Museum. I am curious as to how he got involved with that? Did his mom sign him up? I am guessing so, just based on the application I found, but she needs more credit if she did! This experience gave us the artist we have today, teaching Giveon how to use his voice and writing talents.

Once he learned how to use his voice, it was over for you bitches.

Giveon’s latest EP, When It’s All Said And Done, was released on October 2, 2020, following his first EP, Take Time, in March. Both are EP’s added to my library for life. Giveon is a storyteller throughout his music. Some are his stories, some are friend’s and family’s stories; he gets inspired by the people in his life and their experiences.

Take Time tells a story of a relationship going from strong to south, and Giveon pours these emotions out so clearly I can literally feel it too, even though I did not go through a break up. He highlights his growing up in Long Beach, and the way that impacts his relationships. I love that he filmed the music video at his high school, way to represent. Heartbreak Anniversary is the stand out on this album, no question. If you’ve ever gone through a breakup, you have a heartbreak anniversary. We can all relate to this and it touches on a topic that we mostly don’t hear about. I don’t know about you, but I can remember after going through a bad breakup, you notice when a year passes. You notice when you’ve been broken up for a year. Yikes. You hear these beautiful percussion sounds and the piano in this song, and he adds emotion to them in such a deep way. His vocals stacks on the line “don’t want to let you out my head” are insane! I specifically blast that line, they give you this crazy almost high because they sound THAT amazing. I could, and have, listened to this song on repeat for hours. You can only reach this depth and this skill through deep self-work. He has clearly worked through his emotions and luckily for us, created beautiful art out of them.

I also ate an edible prior to watching the visualizer to this song, so that was pretty cool, too.

When It’s All Said And Done follows up on the aftermath of the relationship story, and it’s not as full of love as you would like. He starts out immediately with the song When It’s All Said And Done, where we hear attempts to try to save the relationship, but the ultimate conclusion is that it’s over. I love the shoutout he does to Take Time on this song, it’s such a clever little add in. “I knew it was going to take time, but,” he’s going “be good when it’s all said and done.” The relationship definitely ended, and Giveon sings some true thoughts that we’ve all had when going through a break up. Like on Still Your Best, we can all relate to seeing your ex move on and thinking that new person isn’t going to treat them the way you did. No one will ever, you are their best! Whether or not this is actually true at the time, we’ve all felt it. Stuck On You is another EP favorite because it is also extremely relatable. You are trying to move on but you can’t stop thinking about that person you were with. You may even go back and forth with them for a bit, and it looks so foolish to all your friends who can see this relationship clearly is not going to work out. I say that as a person who has been in both positions, listen to your friends, folks, sometimes they can see what you can’t. That is why it is called blinded by love! This EP also features Snoh Aalegra, who Giveon toured with in 2019.

I’m excited to see what else Giveon has in store for us, and am hopeful for his future. He is wise, he knows about manifesting his dreams, whether he realizes he’s doing that or not. Let’s hope we can go back on tours again sometime soon-ish. I wonder who he would have open for his tour. So many possibilities! I’d list my ideas, but I have too many, so feel free to ask me personally if you want!

There are two things I would love for him to do, that I think would just be ultimate goals. I would love to see him give back to his community, either by creating his own music program for kids, or being a mentor at the Grammy camp he attended. I could see him doing either of those, maybe both. What I (and the people, I am sure) REALLY want is a Fly Me To The Moon cover! We WANT TO HEAR IT! We NEED to hear it! We will, I am manifesting that!

Giveon gon take over the world. Can’t wait to see it.

Update: Giveon has changed his name to GIVĒON now. Personally, I liked it better Giveon. Gives it more mystery. You shouldn’t have to spell it out for people just because they don’t know how to pronounce it. They will learn. Or, they would have learned.