Hot on the promo trail for his freshly-released debut album, Give or Take, Givēon performed at the 2022 BET Awards.
The Long Beach, California, native opened his set with his hit single “Heartbreak Anniversary.” Although there were some noticeable issues with his sound, he continued to push on to perform “For Tonight” and closed with “Lie Again.”
His performance immediately sparked conversation online after some notes were missed due to issues with his mic. Following his performance, Givēon went to Twitter to make light of the situation. He jokingly insisted that BET sabotaged his microphone.
“Not @BET sabotaging my mic 😂😂😂😂😂😂…… @LilNasX I get it!!!!,” he tweeted.
Not @BET sabotaging my mic 😂😂😂😂😂😂…… @LilNasX I get it!!!!
— Giveon (@giveon) June 27, 2022
As noted above, Givēon released his debut album on Friday (June 24). Of the album, he told Rated R&B, “My debut album Give or Take is a collection of reminiscences over the last few years of my life. Suddenly having to adapt to a world in which there are so many eyes watching and experiencing a wide spectrum of emotions at once naturally brought these songs to the surface.”
He added, “All in all, Give or Take reflects the love and the loss I’ve had to face as well as the growth and the healing I’ve come to accept.
Give or Take does not include any features, something Givēon was intentional about. “This story is so personal that there can’t be another voice besides me and my mom because that’s the conversation that was had,” he explained to Zane Lowe of Apple Music.
On Aug. 16, Givēon will kick off his Give or Take Tour to support his latest release. Emerging acts Fana Hues, Saleka, Jenevieve and Rimon will join him on the road.
Give or Take is the follow-up to Givēon’s 2020 EPs Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done. The former EP was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards.
In 2021, Givēon released When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time, a compilation of his two projects. It included the bonus track, “All To Me,” which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) this April.
When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time was certified platinum by the RIAA in June 2022, selling more than one million equivalent units.
Watch Givēon’s 2022 BET Awards performance below.