Giveon opens up about his musical journey, how he de-stresses amid the pandemic, and getting into the holiday spirit with his new Christmas song.
Singer-Songwriter Giveon On His Grammy Nomination and Taking Time for Self-Care
There’s no voice quite like singer-songwriter Giveon’s. The Los Angeles-based artist’s silky vocals on moody, evocative songs like “Like I Want You,” coupled with his impeccable style, are enough to draw you in already. But since putting out his debut EP, Take Time, earlier this year, he’s also racked up a number of impressive co-signs—collaborating with Drake on single “Chicago Freestyle,” opening for Snoh Aalegra, and most recently being nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
“It’s something I thought would happen much later in my career,” he says over the phone from Los Angeles. “I wasn’t expecting to be nominated. My manager called me and said that the nominations would be announced in a few minutes, and I told her I already knew I wasn’t on it,” the artist said. “I ended up watching the announcement anyway. I remember Gayle King popped up on the screen, wearing a green dress—I’ll never forget it—to announce the best R&B album category and when she said my name I could not believe it. After that I closed my laptop. I didn’t need to hear anything else.”
Giveon’s musical journey has always been one of passion and self-belief. The rising star didn’t grow up hearing a lot of voices like his, and it wasn’t until he dove into the world of Frank Sinatra, “that I discovered so many other baritone voices like mine,” he says, adding that Frank Ocean and Miguel have become huge contemporary inspirations for him, too. “I also didn’t really know any creative people growing up,” he says. “I watched a lot of YouTube, which helped me to feel less alone. Neither of my parents were creative—it’s not that they weren’t supportive, they just did different things than me.”
Even with this being the case, Giveon credits his initial love of music to his mother. “I grew up listening to my mom play all kinds of music around the house while she was cleaning. She would notice me singing along, and started making me perform during family gatherings,” he adds, with a laugh. “I never really thought it could be a career, though, until recently. It was always something that I just did on the side because I loved it. But looking back, whenever I’d perform or anything I always gave it my all, no matter what. Even if I didn’t know what exactly music could lead to for me, I always believed in myself and had faith in my abilities.”
Up next for the artist is a debut full-length album, to be released in 2021. “I’ve been really focused on that,” he says. “If there’s anything I want people to take away from me and my music, it’s to feel inspired.” No matter what he’s working on, he’ll always be living by the advice he’d give to other aspiring artists. “Recognize that you always have room to grow and that there is always going to be someone better than you and that you can learn a lot from those people,” he adds. “Never feel like you’re too good to keep learning and practicing and perfecting your craft.”
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Akili King
