# Beloved (Giveon album)
**Beloved** is the second studio album by the American R&B singer-songwriter GIVĒON, released on July 11, 2025 through [Epic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-records) in partnership with the Not So Fast label, and executive-produced by Sevn Thomas.[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) The album runs 14 tracks in just under 39 minutes, led by the singles "Twenties" and "Rather Be," and marks GIVĒON's first full-length project since the 2022 studio album *Give or Take*.[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) • [2](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/beloved-giveon/j1n5hex98umcc) In it, the seven-time Grammy nominee deliberately trades the hip-hop-flavored production of his earlier EPs for the orchestrated soul of the early 1970s.[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/giveon-beloved-review-1235383468/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | July 11, 2025, Epic Records with Not So Fast; GIVĒON's second full-length studio album[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) • [4](https://shop.epicrecords.com/products/giveon-beloved-lp) |
| Length and tracks | 14 tracks, total running time 38:56[2](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/beloved-giveon/j1n5hex98umcc) |
| Singles | "Twenties" (March 2025, No. 6 on Hot R&B Songs) and "Rather Be"[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/giveon-new-album-beloved-1235983143/) |
| Executive producer | Sevn Thomas, who also found GIVĒON on SoundCloud and signed him to Not So Fast[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) • [6](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/) |
| Sound | Orchestral R&B drawing on 1970s Philadelphia soul, Memphis' Hi Records, Teddy Pendergrass, and the work of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/giveon-beloved-review-1235383468/) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) |
| Critical reception | 4 stars from Rolling Stone; named to AllMusic's Favorite R&B Albums of 2025[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/giveon-beloved-review-1235383468/) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) |
| Recording method | Recorded live with a full band; a planned eight-to-ten-piece backing band for live performance[8](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/giveon-beloved-accountability-dating-interview-1235382163/) |
## Background and development
GIVĒON's path to the album began with discovery: the Toronto-based producer Sevn Thomas found him on [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) and signed him to his Not So Fast label through Epic Records, then connected him with Drake, who featured the singer on "Chicago Freestyle" from the early-2020 *Dark Lane Demos* mixtape.[6](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/) His first EP, *Take Time*, arrived in March 2020, was nominated for best R&B album at the 2021 [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), and was followed in October 2020 by the top 10 R&B album *When It's All Said and Done*; they were followed by the 2022 studio album *Give or Take*.[6](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/) • [5](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/giveon-new-album-beloved-1235983143/) • [1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved)
GIVĒON kept a low public profile while making the new album, a process that took three years.[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/giveon-new-album-beloved-1235983143/) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) He described the wait as deliberate: "this is the record I always wanted to make," he told Variety, adding that earlier he "wasn't ready, so I decided I'd rather just wait until I evolve."[6](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/) In the label's announcement he called *Beloved* "a complete encapsulation of the very transformative growth I experienced over the past 3 years."[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) In a July 2025 NPR interview he said it is his most personal album yet and shows his growth as an artist.[9](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/19/nx-s1-5472381/american-singer-songwriter-giveon-on-beloved-a-soundtrack-of-lifes-moments)
## Recording and production
Sevn Thomas executive-produced the album and is among its producers alongside Jahaan Sweet; Maneesh Bidaye, Matthew Burnett, Aaron Paris, and Peter Lee Johnson also held production or songwriting roles, with Thomas, Sweet, and Maneesh described as a continuing cohort from GIVĒON's earlier records.[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) GIVĒON (credited as Giveon Evans) is a composer and lyricist throughout, joined by Rupert Thomas Jr, Leon Thomas, Lazaro Camejo, and Melvin Moore.[2](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/beloved-giveon/j1n5hex98umcc)
The album was recorded live with a full band, and its credits reflect that approach: Elena Pinderhughes on flute, [Cory Henry](https://www.edgepedia.org/cory-henry) on organ, Jacob Scesney on saxophone, Kyla Moscovich on horn, Jeff "Gitty" Gitelman on guitar, Kemy Siala on bass, and Peter Lee Johnson on strings.[8](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/giveon-beloved-accountability-dating-interview-1235382163/) • [2](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/beloved-giveon/j1n5hex98umcc) John Kercy mixed the record, Colin Leonard mastered it, and Ezekiel Lewis served as A&R director.[2](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/beloved-giveon/j1n5hex98umcc)
## Music and lyrics
*Beloved* draws substantially from the 1970s: AllMusic points to the grand sweep of Philadelphia soul and the driving rhythms and punching horns of Memphis' Hi Records, while noting it is not an out-and-out throwback.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) Variety describes it as channeling the lush, orchestrated R&B of early 1970s Philadelphia, including [Teddy Pendergrass](https://www.edgepedia.org/teddy-pendergrass), the Delfonics, and TSOP, as well as [Al Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-green), Isaac Hayes, and [Marvin Gaye](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvin-gaye), "without ever poking fun at it."[6](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/) For inspiration, GIVĒON studied records by Teddy Pendergrass and the work of the Philadelphia soul architects Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.[10](https://music.apple.com/cn/album/beloved/1815356726)
Thematically, the album addresses regret, longing, love lost and found, and self-exploration.[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) Rolling Stone framed it as songs about GIVĒON's dating highs and lows, an "accountability" era rendered as "next-generation, old-school heartbreak."[8](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/giveon-beloved-accountability-dating-interview-1235382163/) The lead single "Twenties" sets the album's tone lyrically and sonically, adorned with strings, horns, and Gitelman's sitar; its title laments three years squandered on a failed romance, half the time GIVĒON spent making the record.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345)
The 14 tracks, as sequenced on the LP, are:
**Side A:** "MUD," "RATHER BE," "TWENTIES," "STRANGERS," "NUMB," "I CAN TELL"; **Side B:** "DIAMONDS FOR YOUR PAIN," "KEEPER," "SIX:THIRTY," "BACKUP PLAN," "BLEEDING," "DON'T LEAVE," "AVALANCHE," "GOOD BAD UGLY."[4](https://shop.epicrecords.com/products/giveon-beloved-lp)
## Release and promotion
GIVĒON announced the album on Instagram on May 28, 2025, with the July 11 release date.[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/giveon-new-album-beloved-1235983143/) "Twenties" had been released in March 2025, timed to the five-year anniversary of *Take Time*, and reached [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart while becoming his fourth career entry on the Hot 100.[5](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/giveon-new-album-beloved-1235983143/) • [1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) He performed the song at Prada's official pre-[Met Gala](https://www.edgepedia.org/met-gala) festivities in 2025.[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved)
The album was issued in several formats: a digital release on Epic, a CD and LP on Not So Fast/Epic (catalog 289867), an LP on RCA Victor Europe (2898701), and a 2026 deluxe edition, *BELOVED: ACT II*, as a 2-LP brown marble vinyl set on Epic/RCA (845096).[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) Apple Music lists the release as 14 songs, 39 minutes, ℗ 2025 Epic Records with Not So Fast LLC.[10](https://music.apple.com/cn/album/beloved/1815356726)
For live performance, GIVĒON planned a full eight-to-ten-piece backing band, sized to the stage, including strings, horns, and background singers; he described the intent as making the night feel like the album's world, "it's a movie."[8](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/giveon-beloved-accountability-dating-interview-1235382163/) He also performed songs from the album in California's Lucerne Valley desert for a Spotify exclusive, over a string section with violin, cello, three horns, two background singers, drums, guitar, bass, and keyboard.[8](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/giveon-beloved-accountability-dating-interview-1235382163/)
## Critical reception
Rolling Stone awarded the album 4 stars, noting its commitment to "orchestral" R&B and calling it "rich and authentic," indebted to Al Green, Philly soul, the Jackson 5, and [Blaxploitation](https://www.edgepedia.org/blaxploitation) soundtracks.[1](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved) • [3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/giveon-beloved-review-1235383468/) AllMusic named *Beloved* among its Favorite R&B Albums of 2025.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345)
## How it compares with GIVĒON's earlier work
The clearest change from *Take Time*, *When It's All Said and Done*, and *Give or Take* is textural. Rolling Stone observes that *Beloved* is "almost barren of the hip-hop flourishes that peppered his earlier work," leaning instead into the orchestral R&B of another era, lush with searing strings.[3](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/giveon-beloved-review-1235383468/) The continuity lies in personnel and intent: Sevn Thomas, Jahaan Sweet, and Maneesh Bidaye carried over from his earlier records, and GIVĒON positioned the album as a claim to a space he described as "the face of this contemporary soul thing."[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345) • [6](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/)
## References
1. [Seven-Time GRAMMY-Nominee GIVĒON Releases New Sophomore Album BELOVED, Sony Music Canada press release](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/seven-time-grammy-nominee-giveon-releases-new-sophmore-album-beloved)
2. [BELOVED, GIVĒON, Qobuz album listing with credits](https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/beloved-giveon/j1n5hex98umcc)
3. [GIVĒON 'Beloved' Album Review, Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/giveon-beloved-review-1235383468/)
4. [GIVĒON – BELOVED LP, Epic Records Official Store](https://shop.epicrecords.com/products/giveon-beloved-lp)
5. [Giveon Announces New Album 'Beloved', Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/giveon-new-album-beloved-1235983143/)
6. [Giveon Brings Back '70s R&B With His New Album 'Beloved', Variety](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/giveon-70s-rnb-new-album-beloved-1236447040/)
7. [GIVĒON: BELOVED Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/beloved-mw0004548345)
8. [GIVĒON Talks His 'Accountability' Era and Making 'Beloved' Album, Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/giveon-beloved-accountability-dating-interview-1235382163/)
9. [American singer-songwriter GIVEON on Beloved, a soundtrack of life's moments, NPR](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/19/nx-s1-5472381/american-singer-songwriter-giveon-on-beloved-a-soundtrack-of-lifes-moments)
10. [《BELOVED》- GIVĒON的专辑, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/cn/album/beloved/1815356726)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › R&B and soul albums › 2020s R&B albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license