GIVĒON: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

NPR Music's Tiny Desk series will celebrate Black History Month by featuring four weeks of Tiny Desk (home) concerts and playlists by Black artists spanning different genres and generations each week. The lineup includes both emerging and established artists who will be performing a Tiny Desk concert for the first time. This celebration highlights the beautiful cornucopia of Black music and our special way of presenting it. We hope you enjoy.

Sidney Madden | February 9, 2021
"Just bear with me while I just enjoy this and soak in it," GIVĒON admits with a laugh. Switching between the demeanors of a seasoned, nonchalant crooner and a giddy-grinned newbie, the fast-rising R&B star makes a point to show his humility during his long-awaited debut at Tiny Desk.

Accompanied by a minimal, masked-up band and only one background vocalist (a fellow Pisces at that), the baby-face baritone fills the set with resonance and light. He radiates gratitude with every note. Against a blue, moody backsplash of projected music video stills, GIVĒON notes the divine timing of this performance. "Any moment to do this would be special," he says between songs, "but I think Black History Month ... just celebrating Black culture for this month, I'm really excited to get to do this on this platform."

Through the throes of the pandemic, GIVĒON has remained remarkably busy. In a span of eight months, the Long Beach, Calif. newcomer has released two solid EPs, the Grammy-nominated Take Time and When It's All Said And Done. (The latter included one of our favorite songs of 2020, "Still Your Best.") For his Tiny Desk (home) concert, he borrows from each project to arrange a tantalizing 14-minute sampler — showing off just enough to get you to do your Googles and discover more.

Much like the moment he's trying to savor, GIVĒON's strength as a singer-songwriter is his ability to make his listener feel suspended in time. As fans quickly discovered on his breakthrough "Chicago Freestyle" feature last year, the peaks and valleys of GIVĒON's tone and the satisfying patterns of his runs don't just serenade; They immerse, they engulf. GIVĒON's star rising during a time of such sustained uncertainty is no accident, either. Between vulnerable storytelling and clear vocals, GIVĒON's work provides so many with what they're craving right now: intimacy and consistency.

SET LIST
"THE BEACH"
"LIKE I WANT YOU"
"Stuck On You"

MUSICIANS
GIVĒON: vocals
Deondre Ellis: keys
Ivan Chatman: bass
Andre Montgomery: drums
James Murray: guitar
RaVaughn Brown: vocals

CREDITS
Video: Jan Lim, Mitchell Schultz, Will Houlihan
Producer: Zack Warren
Director: Eric Longden
Audio: Jeremy Gray, Reggie Jones, Al Richardson

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Art Director: CJ Riculan
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Morgan Noelle Smith
Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

[LajanilS]

Imagine Masego and Giveon on a track... the f*ckin smoothest song ever created😂

[DREiPowah]

Only thing wrong w this is he only did 3 songs 😫😫

[urwdduz]

OMG TINY DESK FEEDING US GOOD GOOD.. SZA NEXT

[warrendavey]

let's take a second and appreciate how well the girl does in the background...those echoes were on point

[blaqqhawq]

I feel like I should have dressed up and got a date for this...

[kawaii]

He said “I don’t wanna keep you much longer”... Sir. Keep me as long as you want. My ears have been blessed

[maritsag]

Since Giveon couldn’t hear people clap, like this if you clapped to this video. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[jeannehaligah]

Can u appreciate how he was vibing with his backing vocalists

[maylennon]

Most r&b/soul male singers sing in a higher resgister, it’s refreshing to hear a baritone/bass.

[keanulck]

Just imagine a 70 year old Giveon singing his old songs in the future

[feranmijacobs]

his voice is deep and soft at the same time.. like how🤯🤯

[ItsGB]

Giveon literally had ZERO bad songs. Dude is talented asf

[angelriera]

That echo effect his supporting vocalist did was too fire.

[deijonimaniw]

the fact that his voice is HIS voice is crazy . his voice doesn’t need to be touched to sound good .

[thekagandahan]

His voice can cure anxiety and sadness. Yup, this is a testimony.

[drubert]

Saw him open for Snoh Aalegra about a year ago. It was his mom's birthday and he FaceTimed her from stage to have the crowd sing happy birthday to her. I'm sure she's proud of this young man. A class act.

[orukopy]

Honestly, discovering Giveon's music was one of my highlights from 2020. He has such a unique sound

[AngelaElikya]

For the people asking the backup singer is ravaughn brown

[poisonivey]

The background vocalist was reading Giveon's body language the entire time, that's why she knew exactly when to step in and when to pull back. I love that so much! 🥰🥰🥰

[jackieo.]

the way tiny desk don’t EVER miss! Giveon, we here. Giveon always makes everything feel better🥺🥺