KWXY Presents ● The Music of Giveon
Giveon, also known as GIVĒON, is an R&B singer/songwriter active since 2018, rising to prominence in 2020 with the single “Chicago Freestyle,” a collaboration with Canadian rapper Drake. He soon followed up with two debut EPs with the first, Take Time earning a Grammy nomination and the second, When It’s All Said and Done reaching Top 10 status.
He was born Giveon Dezmann Evans on February 21, 1995 to a single mother in Long Beach, California. Giveon credits his mother with protecting he and his two brothers from the pressures of gang culture. Falling in love with music at a young age, he attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and at age eighteen, a music education course at the Grammy Museum. A baritone vocalist, Giveon credits Frank Sinatra as an early influence because of the power of his voice as well as jazz recordings of the 1960s and 1970s.
Giveon’s first single, “Garden Kisses,” was self-released on SoundCloud in 2018. This brought him to the attention of producer Rupert “Sevn” Thomas who signed Giveon to his Not So Fast label, an imprint of Epic Records. This led to being the opening act for Swedish singer/songwriter Snoh Aalegra on her Ugh, A Mini Tour Again tour in 2019 and “Chicago Freestyle” in February 2020, the aforementioned collaboration with Drake. His debut EP, Take Time was produced by Sevn Thomas, released the following month to critical acclaim and was the start of Giveon’s commercial success, eventually going platinum. The EP yielded the singles “Stuck on You” and “Like I Want To” along with his first Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. A compilation album of the first two EPs was released in March 2021 and included a new single, “All To Me.”
As of March 2022, Giveon has six Grammy nominations pending for the 2022 awards show, including Album of the Year as a featured artist and songwriter on the Justin Bieber album, Justice. He and Bieber have also been nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video and Best R&B performance for the Justice number one single, “Peaches” with Canadian singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar and Best R&B Song for the Take Time single, “Heartbreak Anniversary.”
KWXY Music Radio supports musicians and artists performing in the Coachella Valley, as well as independent music labels, and emerging talent all over the country. Today’s featured artist, Giveon is scheduled to perform at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 16th and 23rd.
Listen to the music of Giveon on KWXY Presents hosted by Louie Comella, tonight at 7pm on KWXY Music Radio 92.3 FM ● 1340 AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com