Givēon is putting his heart back on the line with his new single “Rather Be.”
The aching ballad — produced by Matthew Burnett, Sevn Thomas, Jahaan Sweet, Maneesh Bidaye and Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman — hears Givēon grappling with the desire to reignite an old flame rather than starting anew. The vintage soul track carries the emotional weight of not wanting to let go of someone due to beliefs that no one will come close to what you once had.
“I’d rather be a fool than believe in someone new / I’d rather be with you / Than the other half of someone who’s not even half of you,” Givēon croons in the chorus.
“Rather Be” is accompanied by a performance-style video, directed by Loris Russier, which can be watched below.
“Rather Be” is Givēon’s second single of 2025, following “Twenties,” which was released in February. The soul-stirring tune was released just ahead of the Long Beach, California, native’s 30th birthday.
Both “Twenties” and “Rather Be” are expected to appear on Givēon’s forthcoming project, which will release on Not So Fast/Epic Records.
In 2022, he released his debut album,Give Or Take,which included the singles“For Tonight” and “Lie Again.”
“My debut album, Give Or Take, is a collection of reminiscences over the last few years of my life,” Givēon told Rated R&B. “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.”
Aside from his own music, Givēon recently teamed with Teddy Swims on “Are You Even Real.” The song reached No. 1 on multiple Billboard charts, including Adult R&B Airplay.
“Are You Even Real” is nominated for Best Collaboration at the 2025 BET Awards, which airs live Monday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET on BET.
Stream Givēon’s new song “Rather Be” and watch the music video below.