LA based singer songwriter Em Beihold is breaking the Internet with her bright melodies and raw lyrics. Her latest single “Numb Little Bug” has taken over TikTok by storm, with over 60,000 videos using the audio in under a month. We discuss with Em blowing up on social media, mental health, and the genuine connection that she has developed with her fans.
Melodic Magazine: Blowing up on social media overnight can be quite overwhelming. How have you handled it, and how do you manage real life combined with social media?
Em Beihold: That’s a really great question. I haven’t actually found the boundary yet. That’s something that I’m trying to figure out. Even right before I’m going to bed, I’m trying to respond to DMs and comments and the first thing when I wake up, I’m doing the same. I definitely need to be able to put my phone down to actually live. So, it’s been a bit of an issue I’m trying to sort out.
You seem to prioritize connecting with your fans and making them know that they are important and really apart of your growth as an artist. I saw that someone even got a “Numb Little Bug” tattoo! What is your favorite part about connecting with your fans?
My favorite part about doing music is connecting with my fans! Everything is happening because of them. What means way more to me than any of the numbers is when someone tells me, “I’m going through a really rough patch in my life and this song made me smile for the first time in a long time.” There’s also this dark humor that my fans understand and I just love engaging with them and that humor. Some people have asked me to draw them bug tattoos, which has been interesting since I can’t draw at all!
Hardcore fans will still get it tattooed!
I hope they don’t [laughs]!
Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind “Numb Little Bug”?
Last year, I released a song called “Groundhog Day,” and all of a sudden, all of my dreams were coming true. All of the labels I could have ever dreamed of signing to were reaching out to me. I was having meetings, talking to publishers— it was a really crazy time. But at the same time, I had also started antidepressants. I just didn’t feel anything. I also think it was that combined with feeling overwhelmed. I was getting a lot of opportunities to be writing with people. I was put in so many sessions and rooms which should have been exciting, but I just got burnt out so quickly and even questioned if I wanted to do music at all because it was just too much for me.
I didn’t realize that antidepressants could take the highs away as well. The lows are gone but you also really don’t feel happy anymore. I actually wrote the first line of Numb Little Bug while I was driving and I was [questioning everything]. “This world is so big, and I’m so small. What does it all mean?” One of those existential things. I pulled over to take a voice note, because I was like, “Oh my gosh, I think I found the words!” It brings a little joy back to a very lifeless time while I was writing that song.
What is the dream venue you would like to perform at?
SNL! I don’t know if that’s actually a venue. I’ve always joked that if I ever perform at SNL, afterwards I can quit [laughs]!
What is a fun fact that not a lot of people know about you?
I don’t know if it’s unknown, but before my music was taking off, the biggest part of my life was actually fencing. When I went to college, I competed with UC San Diego for 3 years. I started when I was 8 because my dad was a fencer. It’s funny because in fencing, there actually is a lot of rhythm and breaking the rhythm. And it’s actually hard for me to break the rhythm, since I’m so rhythm-minded.
What do you want people to take away from listening to your music?
A lot of my life, I have been different and excluded from things. So, when I write, I try to make this atmosphere of inclusion. I’m the kind of person, if I’m at a party where everyone is having fun, but there’s someone in the corner of the room and they’re not looking happy, that’s all I’ll think about. I’ll go to them and try to bring them in. That’s the same vibe with my music. I’ve also been way too blunt of a person. So, nothing is really sugar-coated in my songs. It’s always exactly how I feel. I’m just here to be really honest and for people to feel like they have a home with my music.
Keep up with Em Beihold: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Website
