February 13, 2026 | 12:00am
The setting was intimate, defined by dim lights, his silhouette cast against the stage wall, and painstakingly aching anthems.
Clad in a long brown fur coat, American R&B singer-songwriter GIVEON opened his set with MUD and RATHER BE, performing alongside his bandmates during his concert at the New Frontier Theater.
He then introduced himself and welcomed fans to the Manila leg of his “Dear Beloved, The Tour,” mounted by Live Nation Philippines.
One of his crew members removed his coat and mic stand before GIVEON cued his band for the next track, Still Your Best, and told the crowd, “You wonder where I’ve been for the last couple (of) years — three to four years. I was in love. I’m single now.”
BACKUP PLAN and a stripped-down version of Chicago Freestyle came next. The latter is a track he collaborated on with Canadian rapper Drake, one of his musical influences, as he openly said in an interview.
“I’m having a great time by the way. I’ve been practicing something. I might messed it up. I’m not gonna say it,” he teased the audience, prompting them to respond, “Say it.”
GIVEON gave in and said, “Mahal kita. I said I love you… But to be serious, I just want you guys to know that every song you hear from me is based on a completely true story. It is based on real emotions, real person.”
His personal experiences have served as inspiration to write, which he channels into his music. “The reason I started writing in the first place is because I was an angry kid and I don’t know where to put all my emotions. So, I just started writing down on a paper and then they started to rhyme and then it started to be poems. This is crazy. It blows my mind that I could go writing all these songs, and words and poems,” he reflected and moved on with another hard-hitting ditty, STRANGERS.
When someone from the crowd shouted, “I love you,” he smiled and responded, “I love you, too.”
Continuing his playful mood with the fans, he picked up a placard from the crowd and read aloud, “We’re supposed to watch GIVEON, with her. Now she’s a stranger.”
“Just go home. Work harder,” GIVEON reacted and asked the guy, “What’s her name? Oh, you can’t say. Tell her I say hi. Fall in love again. Are you recording this? Give it another try or maybe he broke up with you. I don’t know. But please try again. And the next time I come back, whatever that is, you guys come together.”
It was GIVEON’s first time in the Philippines, and he reiterated he was having a great time, though he couldn’t help but notice the country’s traffic situation. “Your traffic is insane. I don’t know how there’s not like an accident in every five minutes… I have not been able to try Filipino food yet. But I have an off day here tomorrow. So, I’m going to try some stuff. I haven’t tried some scooter, but I won’t ‘cause I don’t wanna die.”
“What else? I know you guys didn’t come here to hear me talk,” added he. “So, I got some more songs. Is it OK if I play some more songs for you?” The spectators answered with a resounding yes and he carried on with soulful Garden Kisses, DIAMONDS FOR YOUR PAIN, KEEPER and his 2019 hit Like I Want You.
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“I wanna thank you again for allowing me to just be as emotional as I want. So, thank you so much,” he mouthed. “And I wanted to say, if any of you are feeling emotional tonight, it is OK. This is a safe space. We can be emotional together. But if you are emotional tonight, this next song is not gonna help at all. Not one bit.”
GIVEON was referring to another emotionally charged track, Stuck On You, which is about staying in a toxic relationship.
After grooving to AVALANCHE, he shared a story about a girl he had been following on Instagram.
“Remember the girl I was telling you (about) earlier? I was right and you guys are wrong,” he told his crew. “I was doing some research. I was stalking her Instagram. But I was right and she has a boyfriend all the time. And I knew it, I knew it, too. They told me I was overthinking it, but my heart told me, I can tell.” It was a hint to his next song, I CAN TELL.
For his performance of TWENTIES, he requested the audience to turn on the lights on their phones. So, he could see their faces clearly. “This is perfect for this next song, the good thing about this song is a lot of you relate to this song, but the bad thing is a lot of you relate to this song. You know what I mean. I remember exactly last year when I decided to write a song about wasting my 20s,” he mused, reflecting on the song’s sentiments.
“More bad news, but I’m telling you that was my last song,” GIVEON declared. “So, before they cut my mic, I just wanna say I love you guys. Thank you so much, Manila. I will be back. Please be safe. I love you so much.”
He briefly left the stage, but when the crowd shouted, “Isa pa!,” he returned for his encore, Heartbreak Anniversary.
