Em Beihold on tackling anxiety, taking to the stage and supporting Lewis Capaldi.
Get to Know:
Em Beihold
Get to Know is our brand new series of features profiling some of the world’s most exciting artists. Speaking over Zoom, Em Beihold talks about tackling her anxiety, taking to the stage and supporting Lewis Capaldi.
Photo Credit: Lissyelle Laricchia
Right now, American singer-songwriter Em Beihold is performing to tens of thousands of people as she supports Lewis Capaldi across North America, in what the popstar describes as the “biggest tour” she’s ever done. “The fact I’m going to be playing Grand Ole Opry and Radio City Music Hall is crazy to me” she says, never imagining she would play such venues.
For fans of Em Beihold though, there was simply no doubt she was set to be a star. Her major label debut single ‘Numb Little Bug’ propelled her to screens and venues across the world and she soon found herself with a fanbase who adore not just her music, but her openness on her everyday life. They follow her through the ups and the downs with her songs touching on subjects such as anxiety and the rollercoaster that is fame.
It’s perhaps that same combination of great pop tunes and a sincere relatability that makes Beihold such a perfect fit for Capaldi’s tour who Beihold praises for his humour and his genuine personality. “He’s such a joy to watch”, she tells me, describing the tour as a “real honour” to be a part of.
On… Numb Little Bug
Beihold’s major label debut catapulted the singer-songwriter to worldwide appeal as ‘Numb Little Bug’ went viral on TikTok throughout 2022. It’s a powerful pop anthem which tackles anxiety and antidepressants with a quirky sense of relatability, and it immediately struck a chord with millions of listeners, even going platinum last year.
It’s both an incredible achievement and an iconic moment for fans of popstars as they get to witness their favourite artist lift an iconic framed record disc plaque that is bestowed to artists that achieve the rare feat.
“I got the platinum plaque after playing at the 1824 conference,” remarks Beihold. “We took some photos with it in the parking lot which was fun,” she adds with a laugh. When asked if she celebrated however, she takes a moment to get introspective. “I don’t know if I formally celebrated” she notes. “It was a super cool feat but also… I just kind of keep going, I don’t really stop to celebrate a lot… I should make more of an effort to kind of pause and be like ‘Yay, this happened.”
The track itself, Beihold says, was the hardest of her material to create. “It went through three sets of producers and 14 versions. I knew that I liked the song and I liked what was being said, but it just didn’t sound right, and I never want to put anything out if it doesn’t sound right.”
It’s fair to say the success of the track was a defining moment for Beihold. “The truth is, when ‘Numb Little Bug’ was released, everything just happened so quickly.” She recalls the moment Anson Seabra reached out for her to open his shows on tour. “I had never even thought of touring, that was not a thing I had even thought about until after ‘Numb Little Bug’ was released, because it’s worth mentioning, I never necessarily imagined the pop star route.”
Beihold compares her ambitions to that of idol Regina Spektor. “I am a huge fan of Regina who does shows and tours, but it's not like she’s dancing on stage and doing a whole production, so that was crazy.”
It was the call to perform the song on Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night Show however that made Beihold realise things are changing. “That was really crazy, because that was like ‘This is a whole new level now’. This is real, it’s not just a TikTok thing.”
Photo Credit: Stephen Schofield
“I just kind of keep going, I don’t really stop to celebrate a lot… I should make more of an effort to kind of pause and be like ‘Yay, this happened.”
On… anxiety and pressure
It feels ironic that a track centred on the struggles of anxiety would lead to such huge success, and bring with it the immense pressure to not just sustain it but follow it up. I asked Beihold how she navigates an industry in which incredible achievements and emotional highs are swiftly followed by a plunging back down to earth feeling. “I think I’m very much figuring it out,” she explains. “Because I’ll say that happened with ‘Numb Little Bug’, it’s happening now with the Stephen song. Beihold’s duet with Stephen Sanchez on his track ‘Until I Found You’ currently sits at over 400 million streams on Spotify. “The song is going so crazy that I feel the pressure of … how do I make sure that this moment stays?”
She describes that pressure as ‘hard but exciting’, emphasising the importance of staying true to yourself. “It’s really important to definitely stay grounded,” she tells me. “Keep working, have a community of people that you love and that love you around you”. An example of this she says was a recent writing trip to Palm Springs. “I just came back from a writing trip with my favourite collaborators and I think that just kind of brought me peace because I was very much in the moment with them, and I wasn’t looking at my phone 27\4 which I do when I’m at home,” something which she implores others to try and do more of. Meanwhile, on the risk of fame dropping off , she’s making sure she’s “remembering to live and remember that moments inevitably are going to end, but that doesn’t mean you’re not worthy anymore, it’s just how this industry works.”
“It’s crazy to see so many people screaming words that were your inner most sad thoughts...”
On… touring
Beihold wasn’t expecting to be thrust onto the stage and putting on a pop production night after night. Adjusting to her new lifestyle Beihold talked through the prep required when she goes out on the road. “Usually I have three or four days of rehearsal that last all day and I have fittings to make sure the wardrobe is good,” she explains, laughing as she admits “I’m not great at styling myself, so I’ve hired a stylist for tour, but I would love to get better. I’ve just never really gravitated towards fashion so that’s still a new part of the preparation for me.” Perhaps what fans might not take into consideration is also the physical aspect of performing night after night, especially when you’re new to touring. “I want to work out a good amount in advance, ” Beihold says. “I get so nervous on stage sometimes that my whole physicality just shuts down and I can’t move. I think I would like to build up my endurance a little bit.”
When it comes to showtime, Beihold describes the sensation of performing to her large audiences as “the most incredible feeling in the world,” yet stating how “it makes it all so real” as she notes a disconnect between online fame and in person. “It seems obvious, but on social media, when I’m talking to everyone, that’s incredible but it’s so different than looking at someone's face and they’re screaming the words that you wrote.” Beihold says she wrote the first half of ‘Numb Little Bug’ at the piano when she was in a low place. “It’s crazy to see so many people screaming words that were your inner most sad thoughts, but in a bonding way, so it’s just a very touching full circle moment.”
As a popstar, live shows are increasingly scrutinised with fans desperate for the full superstar treatment. For Beihold, it’s something she wants to deliver for fans. “It’s a goal of mine to have a show were people are like ‘That is a good show’ and last year was a lot of learning for me. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I put on the best show but you have to be on stage a bunch of times to understand how to have fun.” She reflects on the irony of a song centred on her intense anxiety placing her in high pressure environments. “I wrote ‘Numb Little Bug’ about having extreme anxiety, and then I was hoisted on these stages, which makes your anxiety even worse.”
As for what fans take away from her music? Beihold says she loves when people tell her they feel less alone, or they feel like hearing her music they relate to things they didn’t know other people also went through. “I think there’s just so many things in society that we don’t talk about,” states Beihold, comparing it to an upcoming single titled ‘Masquerade’. ‘I had a conversation with someone I had idolised for a while and they’re telling me about how they’re in therapy. I was like ‘Oh, I never would have thought that this person that I thought was so perfect would be going to therapy.’ Not that going to therapy makes you not perfect, but everyone has their own problems. We’ve tried to show this perfect side of ourselves all the time. So I like unveiling the norms that we accept a little too willingly.”
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See the tour
Em Beihold is currently on tour across North America with Lewis Capaldi. Find dates and ticket information on her site here.
Meanwhile Em Beihold’s new single ‘Rollercoasters Make Me Sad’ and her feature on Lauren Spencer Smith’s ‘Fantasy’ alongside GAYLE are able to stream now.