GIVĒON is still in motion. Less than a week after dropping the deluxe edition of his Grammy-nominated album BELOVED ACT II, the Long Beach native is in what he calls “go mode,” ricocheting between press and stages, and still, he’s already thinking about the next evolution—musically, visually and personally. Originally, with this project, he first centered on an intimate dialogue between himself and his own heart. Now, as we dive into Act II, he begins to widen the frame.
Featuring collaborators like Kehlani, Leon Thomas, Teddy, and Sasha Keeble, he’s tapping artists he says he’s long admired but couldn’t quite fit into the tightly controlled architecture of earlier projects. “These albums are so heavy and intentional, it’s hard to add another vocal or another perspective into it,” he told EBONY.
The deluxe format, he says, finally gave him space to experiment. That instinct of stepping outside his comfort zone shows up in records like “Jezebel,” a more uptempo, summer-ready cut that pushes his sound into new textures without sacrificing the songwriting that made him an artist to watch in modern R&B. As he’s been able to find himself as a man and an artist he’s embarked on a different kind of exploration—leaning into solitude, studying film, and obsessing over details as small as a shade of olive green or the James Bond aesthetic. “When I’m by myself is when I’m learning myself the most,” he said.
Still, for all the acclaim—Grammy nominations, sold-out shows, and aesthetics replicated by fans, he’s ready to end the BELOVED era with a bang and look to the future of what’s next for his artistry. The 31-year-old sat down with EBONY to talk about this new era, manifesting a James Bond song placement and realizing who he is.
EBONY: This deluxe introduces several collaborations after such a solo first act. What made you bring in Kehlani, Leon Thomas, Teddy, and Sasha Keeble for Act II?
GIVĒON: Those are all artists that I love, and I would have had them on just the album, but sometimes these albums are so heavy and intentional, it’s hard to add another vocal or another perspective into it, because there’s just so much I want to say, but for this, I just leaned on my peers who are adding to the space right now, and I think deluxes are cool because you can experiment a little more as well.
You kick off the deluxe with “Jezebel,” which feels like a summer anthem. What was the creative process behind that record?
I think the idea of the deluxe, too, is that I wanted to play with different tempos and different textures. People have heard me on tempos before, but not like “Jezebel,” so I just wanted to expand my sound.
With Kehlani, you two teased the duet at Coachella. What was it like actually working together?
It was so smooth it feels like we’re cousins at this point, because she’s from the Bay and I’m from Long Beach, so it just feels like I’ve known her my whole life, because we just operate the same way. It’s almost something where after you make the song, you step back and be like, ‘I’m surprised we didn’t do this a long time ago,’ just because her voice is strong and confident, but it’s also soft, airy, buttery and smooth, so I liked that blend with my vocal and my baritone.
In terms of storytelling, how did you want Act Two to build on the world you created with Beloved?
Without giving too much away because I just love not adding too much context, so people can interpret it the way they interpret it, but with [ Act I of] BELOVED, it was just me having a conversation with myself or my love interest. With Act II, I wanted it to feel like I’m having a conversation with friends now about the situation, and it’s just more communal. I think [this era] is beautiful, because I’m becoming more of a man in the real process, and learning myself a bit more, and learning what I like and what I don’t like.
You’ve been seeing fans interpret this world in real time, especially on tour. What has it been like watching their relationship to the album—and your visual identity—evolve?
The first couple of albums, there wasn’t much of a visual identity because I was still finding my own identity in that regard, so it’s cool to see people who have ties on, or they have a collared shirt, or gloves, or whatever, because I have it on this era.
You talk a lot about being a student and loving solitude. What have you learned about yourself during this era?
This might be contrary to everything, but I really like my solitude. I genuinely like waking up by myself, and then getting right into my routine, or being by myself and going to a coffee shop and studying something. When I’m by myself is when I’m learning myself the most, because I’m reading what I want to read, I’m wearing exactly what it is that I want to wear, I’m eating exactly what it is that I want to I get to just dive into myself a lot more, and I like it.
How did the way your career took off during COVID shape that need for solitude and your relationship to the world?
For me, it was because my ascension happened during COVID, and I developed this social anxiety, as we all did, but mine was like times 10, because while everybody else was developing it because we’re isolated, I was developing it because I was isolated in this newfound notoriety. I would be like, “Okay, so do I need to get security to do [everyday things],” but now I realize, like, no, the most people are going to say is, “Hey, I like your work, or “Can I get a picture?”
When you say you’re a student, what are you studying—especially when you’re searching for inspiration?
The number one thing is learning what I like. Without even knowing how to articulate it, I’ve been drawn to the James Bond series. I don’t know why, but for the tour, I went and watched all of the James Bond films in a row from 1964 to 2021, and I’m learning. I like thrillers, action, being a man that has a mission through life, and has purpose and giving service. For BELOVED, I pulled a lot from film noir, just the way it’s shot, the shadow work, and the compositions and everything, but that all started because I was just watching those types of movies for no reason.
Are we manifesting you on the James Bond soundtrack?
[Laughs] I would love to be on the James Bond soundtrack. Please, we’ll put that out there.
As you look ahead, where do you see Act II and the BELOVED world going from here?
To me, BELOVED was just me painting a picture of a certain time, but it became such a world on its own, because we rolled it out so well. It kind of seems like I could be in BELOVED forever, but I have a lot more worlds to me, and a lot more sounds and genres in me.
What do you hope fans remember most about the BELOVED era?
I want them to really understand, because sometimes we can start to shift to a song business, which I don’t think is bad, but I just don’t come from that. I just want to keep the emphasis on album-making, and I think that’s a hill I’ll die on, just continuing to be a project artist.