Giveon Artistfacts

February 21, 1995
Giveon Dezmann Evans is a Long Beach-born R&B singer and songwriter who performs mononymously as Giveon. Raised on the city's east side, he developed a sound that places a deep, unhurried baritone inside intimate modern R&B songs about regret, desire and emotional stalemates. Giveon first came to wide attention singing the hook on Drake's May 2020 single "Chicago Freestyle," but his own records quickly established him as far more than a guest voice.
Giveon grew up in a working-class Eastside Long Beach household, raised by a single mother alongside his brothers. He described the neighborhood to Okayplayer as "fun, dangerous, and interesting all at the same time," but said his mother made sure they did not become products of their environment.

Music was central at home: his mom played vintage R&B while cleaning, noticed him singing along, and began making him perform for relatives at birthday parties. While the other kids were in the bounce house eating candy, Giveon was in the bathroom doing vocal exercises.
At 18, Giveon attended a Grammy Museum music program that introduced him to Frank Sinatra and Barry White, opening his eyes to the possibilities of baritone singing. He told Billboard that without hearing Sinatra, he might have assumed singing that low sounded "weird," especially for an R&B artist coming out of Long Beach.

Frank Ocean gave him a different kind of masterclass. "I wouldn't be the artist I am today without Frank Sinatra and Frank Ocean," he told Schön! Magazine, explaining that Sinatra gave him confidence in his vocal range while Ocean showed him how to tell a story and keep a sense of mystery.
Giveon signed to Toronto producer Sevn Thomas' label, Not So Fast, sparking a creative partnership that shaped his early music. Thomas co-produced "Heartbreak Anniversary" with Maneesh, turning real-life breakup conversations into the backbone of Giveon's debut EP, Take Time. Thomas told Billboard the studio sessions felt "almost like a therapy session" because everyone let their guard down.
"Heartbreak Anniversary" was a slow-burn sleeper hit whose rise started thousands of miles away from American radio. It blew up on TikTok and streaming platforms across Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, before crossing over to Brazil, the US, and his hometown of Los Angeles. It became Giveon's first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry in February 2021 alongside "Like I Want You," eventually climbing to #16 and becoming his breakout record.
In 2021, Justin Bieber recruited Giveon and Daniel Caesar for "Peaches," which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Putting Giveon's deep voice in a breezy, sunny pop setting exposed him to a global audience just as "Heartbreak Anniversary" was peaking. Giveon later admitted that sudden wave of fame was "kind of uncomfortable" for his naturally low-key personality.
Giveon won major Grammy recognition early on. Take Time was nominated for Best R&B Album, "Heartbreak Anniversary" scored a nod for Best R&B Song, and "Peaches" picked up nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The recognition proved that a deep, classic baritone could thrive in a modern pop landscape usually dominated by higher vocal ranges.

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