For Em Beihold, the intention was never to become a popstar. It was never on her radar that she'd tour (spoiler alert: she's currently touring), she never dreamt that millions of fans would stream her music (they do), or that she'd even be recording her songs.
Music has called for Em Beihold her entire life. It started when she saw a piano in the window and begged her parents to buy it for her. They'd let her, but only if she practiced. Em admitted with a laugh that she wasn't very good,
"I started playing the piano when I was 6 because I thought cool kids played instruments," Beihold confesses. "So I started with classical music and then got bored and wanted to see where the notes would go."
From there, the piano evolved into not only an instrument to conquer but a tool to help Em explore the world of music. After working with a teacher, who showed her the world of writing and introduced her ears to artists like Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple, the rest just fell into place.
"Growing up, the piano felt like my therapy, my journal, my closest friend."
As Em continued to grow up teaching music, she dreamt of making sync songs until she graduated high school (from her living room, she adds) during the pandemic in 2020. But everything changes with the rise of TikTok, an app capable of making your dreams come true and ruining the dreams of others.
Relatably, Beihold admits that she joined TikTok because her crush was posting at the time. But beyond a bit of doom-scrolling on her crush's account, Em quickly realized that this app leveled the playing field. Unlike YouTube, she mentions, you didn't need a certain amount of followers to get a certain amount of views. Game on.
"I secretly wanted to be an artist, but never let myself say it because I didn't think it was feasible. I never dreamt that I'd be going on tour or anything like that."
It didn't take long for the world to fall in love with Em Beihold's bitingly honest lyricism, her crisp vocal range that transcends timelessness, and her natural talent of writing what we're all feeling.
When she released her first major label debut single, "Numb Little Bug", which delves into her struggles of feeling nothing while on anti-depressants, fans were instantly captivated by her candid approach to mental health. But the success of "Numb Little Bug" didn't mean Em wanted to be pigeonholed into becoming the poster child for mental health music.
"When 'Numb Little Bug' came out, I was always bracing for the fall,"
After watching it climb to a million streams on Spotify in less than a day, Beihold remembers being frantic about it. While viral moments are amazing, she tells me how it can be hard to keep up with them when kicking off her career. But, nonetheless, 2022 was booked from there on out.
She tells me how she's always written about what she's feeling- there's no intention to be funny, or brutally honest, or mean- it's just whatever is coming out at the time. One thing is for sure: Em Beihold's music is deserving of the pop-stardom she didn't allow herself to dream of...and it's why she earned opening spots for acts like AJR, King Princess, and Lewis Capaldi. It's especially why she's in the midst of her very own headline tour.
Her music led her to other artists like Lauren Spencer Smith and GAYLE, where they created what Em refers to as "Bang Bang Part Two" with their hit song "Fantasy." The song's a scathing breakup anthem- written in LA by the trio as they talked about boys and scrolled through Instagram- Beihold shares that the session was special because it didn't feel like they were really writing a track, just hanging out.
Aside from her own music, she hopped on Stephen Sanchez's hit track, "Until I Found You"- a dreamy, nostalgic blend of their two voices on a timeless love song. She admits that she doesn't write about love very much, so when she went to write her verse, she was surprised to find it happened in less than a day.
They had created the song without meeting, coming together for the first time to perform at the Moroccan Lounge. The song worked so well that fans continue to speculate the pair are dating (despite the fact that she has a boyfriend who isn't Sanchez).
But her new music is where she shines the most, where she's on her own and staying true to her songwriting. She credits a team that helps uplift her abilities and allowt her shine in areas she's strong in. With a plethora of instruments in her repertoire including the ukulele, the piano, the guitar, and more, Beihold can continue to surprise us with her music.
Her most recent single, "Maybe Life Is Good", is a bit of a sonic shift for her: it's upbeat, a pop number with a hint of rock, about dreaming of better days. Written during a rough patch in Beihold's life, the song was more of an aspiration than a reality at the time of writing. You can listen to the song here:
"'Maybe Life Is Good' was a bit of a lifeline. I was writing about what, at the time, wasn't what I was feeling- which was optimism and positivity. So writing that song was a life vest for me."
As for the future, Em Beihold is currently on her very own Maybe Life Is Good tour, where $1 per ticket will go towards Active Minds, an organization that brings mental health services to college campuses, and there will be stands set up at every show. She teases surprise guests, special songs, and an overall amazing time.
Throughout this interview, Em Beihold has been humble, thoughtful, and insightful, which is exactly reflected in her music. As she rises further into popstardom, it'll be no surprise.
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