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IUP | Culture > Entertainment

Ranking Giveon’s Latest Album: BELOVED

Updated Published
Samya Settles Student Contributor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As an avid R&B listener, Giveon is one of my favorite artists. His latest album, BELOVED was released on July 11th, 2025. It captivated my life to say the least, every song on the album is an absolute hit, completely no skips. This album expresses the heartbreak, frustration, and yearning for something you once had and wish you could get back. I am ranking this 14-track album as someone who felt every emotion in his powerful voice, every lyric he expressed from his soul, and every beat that vibrated through my body while listening. 

  1. KEEPER

A declaration of devotion. He’s found someone worth holding onto, but the fear of losing them lingers. Listening to the desperation in his voice brings a dramatic effect I look for in a song, also making it my number one. 

  1. NUMB

Emotionally detached and musically haunting, it captures the moment when heartbreak turns into emotional paralysis. As someone who experienced this, I completely relate to the line “and I can’t even feel the rain anymore.” Not a lot of people understand this type of heartbreak, and that is why it comes close to first. 

  1. STRANGERS

This explores the ache of growing apart and how lovers can become strangers despite shared memories. He expressed a slight hatred of becoming strangers, all because of one thing in his relationship. I understand because sometimes becoming strangers is the worst solution. 

  1. TWENTIES

A nostalgic reflection on youth, mistakes, and the fleeting nature of time. It’s both a celebration and a lament. Although I am only 21, I feel that this song relates to my teen years as well. Not necessarily “wasting my time” but spending a long time consumed by someone who reflects on those years as I look back. 

  1. GOOD BAD UGLY

A closing anthem that embraces the full spectrum of love: the highs, the lows, and the scars that remain. At the end of the day, there were no regrets; it gave you growth, a lesson, something to take with you for the rest of your life, and he expressed that beautifully. 

  1. RATHER BE

A tender ballad about choosing pain over emptiness. He’d rather be broken with someone than whole without them. No words because I am the same way. 

  1. MUD

A gritty opener that sets the tone with raw vulnerability, showing how love can leave you stuck but still searching, through emotional turmoil. Expressing how his ex-partner ran his “name through the mud” and how none of it’s true is completely relatable–not just even in relationships. This would honestly be higher on the list if there weren’t other masterpieces. 

  1. DON’T LEAVE

A desperate plea wrapped in velvet vocals. He’s begging for one more chance, knowing it might be too late. Great song, but I can’t relate because I don’t beg. 

  1. BLEEDING

Visceral and aching, this song bleeds emotion. It’s about giving so much of yourself that you’re left empty. Fighting to give your all while damaging yourself in the process is my life story. 

  1. I CAN TELL

Giveon’s intuition shines here; he senses the shift in a relationship before words confirm it. Proving to himself that he was right about his suspicions, the lyrics show that people can’t hide their secrets like they think they can. 

  1. BACKUP PLAN

A brutally honest confession: was he ever the first choice, or just the fallback? The lyrics cut deep as he expresses the pain of never being chosen first. I relate a little too well…

  1. AVALANCHE

Everything crashes at once: love, regret, realization. The production mirrors the emotional chaos you feel in real time. This is a more upbeat song with great lyrics, just not something that pulls me emotionally. 

  1. DIAMONDS FOR YOUR PAIN

A poetic offering, trying to soothe someone’s suffering with luxury, knowing it’s not enough. Crazy enough, it would work on me, yet this song also doesn’t do anything emotionally.

  1. SIX: THIRTY 

Time-stamped and intimate, this track feels like a snapshot of a quiet moment, literally because it’s only about 30 seconds. 

This album doesn’t just play, it lingers. It’s for the nights you replay old conversations in your head and the mornings you pretend you’re fine. BELOVED is Giveon at his most vulnerable, and if you’ve ever loved deeply, you’ll feel seen. What makes it unforgettable is its honesty; it doesn’t try to fix the pain, it sits with it, sings through it, and lets it breathe. Listening to this album felt like reading a diary I didn’t know I needed.

I can’t imagine how I’ll feel on October 25th when I see him live in Philadelphia. :)

Samya Settles

IUP '27

Samya Settles is the President of Her Campus at IUP, she covers fashion and current pop culture topics. She wants to write about every hot topic going on in the entertainment industry. She loves any and everything to do with modeling and hopes to pursue that career in the future, along with running her own business.

She is attending IUP for her bachelors in Entrepreneurship and Small Business, she also considers earning her masters in the future. She is an active member of NAACP, Management Association, and Sign Club.

In her free time, she like to listen to music, watch YouTube, ride her bike, workout and learn new languages. She is obsessed with the color pink, pandas and food. One thing she is extremely good at is binge watching shows, finishing them in less than two days!