GIVĒON: Tiny Desk Concert

GIVĒON: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

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.