{"id":905707,"date":"2020-12-10T20:15:11","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T17:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=905707"},"modified":"2020-12-10T20:15:11","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T17:15:11","slug":"singer-songwriter-giveon-on-his-grammy-nomination-and-taking-time-for-self-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=905707","title":{"rendered":"Singer-Songwriter Giveon On His Grammy Nomination and Taking Time for Self-Care"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Music<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Singer-Songwriter Giveon On His Grammy Nomination and Taking Time for Self-Care<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Akili King<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Photo: Courtesy of Alissa Ashley. Giv\u0113on wears St\u00fcssy, styled by Corey Stokes\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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There\u2019s no voice quite like singer-songwriter Giveon\u2019s. The Los Angeles-based artist\u2019s silky vocals on moody, evocative songs like \u201cLike I Want You,\u201d coupled with his impeccable style, are enough to draw you in already. But since putting out his debut EP, Take Time,<\/em> earlier this year, he\u2019s also racked up a number of impressive co-signs\u2014collaborating with Drake on single \u201cChicago Freestyle,\u201d opening for Snoh Aalegra, and most recently being nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I thought would happen much later in my career,\u201d he says over the phone from Los Angeles. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting to be nominated. My manager called me and said that the nominations would be announced in a few minutes, and I told her I already knew I wasn\u2019t on it,\u201d the artist said. \u201cI ended up watching the announcement anyway. I remember Gayle King popped up on the screen, wearing a green dress\u2014I\u2019ll never forget it\u2014to announce the best R&B album category and when she said my name I could not believe it. After that I closed my laptop. I didn\u2019t need to hear anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giveon\u2019s musical journey has always been one of passion and self-belief. The rising star didn\u2019t grow up hearing a lot of voices like his, and it wasn\u2019t until he dove into the world of Frank Sinatra, \u201cthat I discovered so many other baritone voices like mine,\u201d he says, adding that Frank Ocean and Miguel have become huge contemporary inspirations for him, too. \u201cI also didn\u2019t really know any creative people growing up,\u201d he says. \u201cI watched a lot of YouTube, which helped me to feel less alone. Neither of my parents were creative\u2014it\u2019s not that they weren\u2019t supportive, they just did different things than me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Even with this being the case, Giveon credits his initial love of music to his mother. \u201cI grew up listening to my mom play all kinds of music around the house while she was cleaning. She would notice me singing along, and started making me perform during family gatherings,\u201d he adds, with a laugh. \u201cI never really thought it could be a career, though, until recently. It was always something that I just did on the side because I loved it. But looking back, whenever I\u2019d perform or anything I always gave it my all, no matter what. Even if I didn\u2019t know what exactly music could lead to for me, I always believed in myself and had faith in my abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up next for the artist is a debut full-length album, to be released in 2021. \u201cI\u2019ve been really focused on that,\u201d he says. \u201cIf there\u2019s anything I want people to take away from me and my music, it\u2019s to feel inspired.\u201d No matter what he\u2019s working on, he\u2019ll always be living by the advice he\u2019d give to other aspiring artists. \u201cRecognize that you always have room to grow and that there is always going to be someone better than you and that you can learn a lot from those people,\u201d he adds. \u201cNever feel like you\u2019re too good to keep learning and practicing and perfecting your craft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below, Giveon shares with Vogue<\/em> what it was like making his Grammy-nominated EP, how he\u2019s been taking care of himself amid the pandemic, and his plans for the upcoming holiday season.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Courtesy of Alissa Ashley. Giv\u0113on wears St\u00fcssy, styled by Corey Stokes\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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What was your writing process like for<\/strong>Take Time?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The process for that album was really amazing because I wasn\u2019t known yet at all. I could create freely without eyes and pressure on me. I just wrote about all of my experiences with relationships all the way up until that point. When it comes to writing, I never force myself to write. When I do that, gibberish ends up on the page. I always let stories come to me naturally. They\u2019re always pouring out of me to be honest.<\/p>\n

Given how far you\u2019ve come already in your career, is there anything you wish you could say to your younger self?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I probably wouldn\u2019t do anything differently, because if I told myself something else, I probably would\u2019ve ended up on a completely different path. But if I had to choose, it would be to just keep going. Have that blind faith. If you knew the answer to everything, there would be no point in having faith and life would be boring. So just keep going and keep believing.<\/p>\n

What are some things that help you de-stress, especially amid the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love to write music, watch a Pixar film, or play video games with my family and friends.<\/p>\n

What also keeps my mind balanced and my stress down is keeping things in perspective. When I feel stressed, I remember there\u2019s always some sort of silver lining\u2014like in this pandemic, it\u2019s possibly the worst year ever. But it\u2019s also my breakout year career-wise, the year I got Grammy nominated. There\u2019s part of me that is definitely missing out on the fact that I would probably be touring right now. But honestly, if it weren\u2019t for this time where we\u2019re all forced to slow down, I wouldn\u2019t be able to say that my album is 50% done already. There\u2019s always something to be grateful for in the midst of it all. My mom really instilled in me to always put things into perspective.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When it comes to self-care, do you have favorite skincare products?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s not so much about products as much as it is about sticking to a regimen: washing your face, moisturizing, using toner when you need to and doing a peel every now and then. And the routines I\u2019ve learned are honestly all thanks to the women that have been in my life. My music is reflective of relationships and love and things like that, but so is my skincare. [laughs] Women are like scientists when it comes to skincare. If there\u2019s anything I\u2019ve learned from them, it\u2019s how much they switch up their routines to meet their skin\u2019s needs. But one product I\u2019m loving right now is this enzyme face scrub by a brand called Wishful. It gets rid of all the dead skin on my face and makes me feel refreshed.<\/p>\n

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What are your holiday plans, and how do they differ from your usual traditions due to the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The past couple of years, I\u2019ve taken on the tradition of hosting my family during the holidays. Since my family still lives in Long Beach, California, a smaller group of us are able to gather safely. I need to get a tree and my decorations for this year. I want to get everyone one big, amazing gift\u2014or I might just wrap up myself and be like, I\u2019m the gift! [laughs]<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your advice to those who might be away from their families during the holiday season due to the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s family I won\u2019t be able to see physically either. But my advice would be to just utilize FaceTime or Zoom as much as possible. It\u2019s not the same but it\u2019s better than nothing.<\/p>\n

You recently put out a holiday song. Do you have favorite holiday albums?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have favorite holiday albums, but I love holiday songs by Frank Sinatra and I also love the song \u201cThis Christmas.\u201d I almost covered it for my holiday song release. But when you look it up, it feels like everyone has done it. I wanted to do something different, so I went with \u201cO Christmas Tree\u201d which hasn\u2019t been covered as much, but has been done by greats like Anita Baker and more. I wanted to align myself with them.<\/p>\n

What are your biggest goals for 2021?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My biggest goal is to finish my debut album. I honestly am reworking some of my other goals for the new year, too. I want to make it about more than drinking more water, working out more, etc. But writing down my visions and goals like I did for 2020 will be a huge part of what I do for 2021. I wrote down that I wanted a Grammy nomination for 2020 and it happened. So I want to think even bigger for next year, because why not. Anything is possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Photo: Courtesy of Alissa Ashley. Giv\u0113on wears a St\u00fcssy jacket and RRL pants, styled by Corey Stokes\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/singer-songwriter-giveon-on-his-grammy-nomination-and-taking-time-for-self-care<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music Singer-Songwriter Giveon On His Grammy Nomination and Taking Time for Self-Care By Akili King December 10, 2020 Photo: Courtesy of Alissa Ashley. Giv\u0113on wears St\u00fcssy, styled by Corey Stokes\u00a0 There\u2019s no voice quite like singer-songwriter Giveon\u2019s. The Los Angeles-based artist\u2019s silky vocals on moody, evocative songs like \u201cLike I Want You,\u201d coupled with his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":905708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-905707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=905707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/905708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=905707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=905707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=905707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}