Givēon performed at the 2022 BET Awards while promoting his just-released first album, Give or Take.
The smash track “Heartbreak Anniversary” by the Long Beach, California native kicked off his concert. Despite some evident troubles with his sound, he continued to play “For Tonight” and finished with “Lie Again.”
After specific notes were missed owing to microphone problems, his performance quickly stirred internet discussion. Givēon took to Twitter after his performance to make light of the situation. He joked that BET had ruined 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.
Givēon will begin his Give or Take Tour in support of his current album on August 16. On the trip with him will be emerging performers Fana Hues, Saleka, Jenevieve, and Rimon.
Givēon’s 2020 EPs Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done were followed by Give or Take. At the 63rd Grammy Awards, the former EP was nominated for Best R&B Album.
Givēon published When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time, a combination of his two projects, in 2021. The extra track, “All To Me,” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 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.