Dhanika Pineda | December 19, 2025
From the moment GIVĒON arrived at the Tiny Desk, there was much to celebrate: Beloved had just received a Grammy nomination for best R&B album, and Leon Thomas’ performance of “Mutt” at the Tiny Desk was nominated for best R&B performance. Spirits were high, and GIVĒON brought all of that energy to this concert.
GIVĒON treats performance as therapy, pouring out his heart like a bottle of wine. “As much as I love having you guys here, these next couple songs are for me,” he says. Even in his Tiny Desk (home) concert from 2021, the artist asked the virtual audience to just let him soak it all in.
The music in this set — really, across GIVĒON’s entire catalogue — is nothing short of intense. From “RATHER BE,” a modern ballad about staying in love regardless of flaws, to the heartache anthem “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY,” GIVĒON unabashedly pokes at all our vulnerabilities. Accompanied by an ensemble featuring strings and horns, GIVĒON delivers a Tiny Desk concert that celebrates all the complicated emotions that come with being human.
SET LIST
“RATHER BE”
“I CAN TELL”
“KEEPER”
“LIKE I WANT YOU”
“HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY”
MUSICIANS
GIVĒON: vocals
André Pinckney: bass, music director
Dennard Watson: keys
George “Spanky” McCurdy: drums
Nate Foley: guitar
Sherie Farris: violin
Cameron Johnson: trumpet
Kyla Moscovich: trumpet
Blake Cross: sax
Camry Jackson: background vocals
Raphael Smith: background vocals
Whitney Smith: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Bobby Carter, Dhanika Pineda
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene, Mitra I. Arthur
Audio Engineer: Tiffany Vera Castro
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Kara Frame, Josh Newell
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
#nprmusic #tinydesk #givēon
Support for NPR Music comes from Moises. A platform created by musicians, for musicians and used by 70 million artists worldwide – to learn, create, and collaborate. Available for download.
