Giveon performs at The Anthem on Oct. 14, 2022. (Photo by Katie Child)

The first time I listened to Giveon’s music, I was blown away by the deep, velvety, baritone voice. He uses that voice to weave together powerful lyrics. While recordings of his music were impressive enough, I was recently left speechless when I witnessed his talent live at The Anthem in DC.

Giveon Dezmann Evans, known professionally as Giveon, was born in Los Angeles County and has built his career out of his phenomenal R&B singing and songwriting skills. Rising to prominence after the 2020 release of Chicago Freestyle, a collaborative song written and sung with Drake, Giveon has picked up a tremendous fan base over the past two years.

Watch the official music video for ”Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon on YouTube.

With nearly 25 million monthly Spotify listeners, Giveon’s first EP, TAKE TIME, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, and his second, When It’s All Said And Done, reached the Top 10 on the US R&B Albums chart. To say the least, once making his way into the big leagues, Giveon found himself at the top very quickly.

Listen to Giveon’s Grammy-nominated EP, TAKE TIME, on Spotify.

Giveon was an impressive performer at The Anthem on Oct. 14. Absolutely timeless, I cannot put enough emphasis on the sheer impact of Giveon’s voice. Having never previously seen him live, I expected his performance voice to rank slightly lower than his professional recordings, but I couldn’t have been more off-base. With breathtaking power and impressive ease, he entranced the venue in its entirety and led a fantastic evening.

Decked out in leather and platform boots, Giveon first hit the stage with a massive smile, waving to audience members and pushing and pulling his mic stand as his band played his swaying melodies. Giveon’s setlist for his performance at The Anthem on Oct. 14 went as follows:

1. Still Your Best
2. The Beach
3. Lost Me
4. World We Created
5. Chicago Freestyle
6. dec 11th
7. This Will Do
8. Scarred
9. Make You Mine
10. Get to You
11. All to Me
12. Tryna Be
13. Favorite Mistake
14. Stuck on You
15. Like I Want You
16. Peaches
17. Lie Again
18. For Tonight
19. Let Me Go
20. Another Heartbreak
21. Heartbreak Anniversary

Here are some photos of Giveon performing at The Anthem on Oct. 14, 2022. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Katie Child.