Written by Tammy Hua
Acclaimed singer and songwriter Em Beihold first found popularity after posting her music through Tiktok. Her success on the social media app continued after the release of her single “Groundhog Day.” Her next single “Numb Little Bug” found massive success and within a year the LA based artist achieved many breakthrough moments such as opening for artists like Anson Seabra and King Princess, performing on The Tonight Show, and having her music certified platinum. The hit single was released within Em’s debut EP, Egg in the Backseat. Earlier this year Em released a collaboration single with artist, Stephen Sanchez for his wildly popular single, “Until I Found You,” with their duet version gaining immense positive reception as well. As Em’s musical journey continues in its early years, her artistry continues to shine as her success grows. Most recently she released her song, “Rollercoasters Make Me Sad” which fans can expect to hear her perform while opening for Lewis Capaldi’s upcoming North American tour.
With the release of her newest song “Roller Coasters Make Me Sad,” the singer-songwriter talks about the meaning behind the single and how it’s a reflection of her response to the success of “Numb Little Bug” and the immense pressure she felt afterwards. Along with its meaning, Em speaks on the writing process and how the single came about.
“I wrote it in May of 2022. It was actually right after I came back from the Anson Seabra tour. It was a concept that I had been sitting on with my collaborators even before I left for tour. Even just the title, we were talking about it. We had a conversation about theme parks and how it relates to the music industry. When I get to the top of a rollercoaster, I don’t get scared, I literally just get depressed. My collaborators then said, ‘that totally makes sense to everything you’ve been saying about music.’”
And via an unplanned session, “Roller Coasters Make Me Sad” was created.
Her hit single “Numb Little Bug” was released alongside her EP, Egg in the Backseat. When asked about her songwriting process and what inspires her, Em talked through the process of how her debut EP came about, including its unique title and childhood inspirations.
“Growing up I always had my hair up in a ponytail so you couldn’t see my hair. So I kind of looked like an egg and my friends would call me ‘Egg’ and ‘Egg-mily.’ So that’s just something I relayed with for a while…I think the lyric we were trying to rhyme with was ‘cracked me’ and my instinct was ‘like an egg in the backseat,’ totally as a joke I said ‘that makes no sense, I can’t say that’ but they said ‘but you can.’ It’s just kind of a very ‘me’ lyric where I don’t know what it means per say but it just felt right and sometimes lyrics be like that.”
Following the EP’s release, “Numb Little Bug” eventually found huge success and was even certified platinum. She received the plaque after playing at an 1824 conference and in celebratory fashion went with her team and took pictures with it in the parking lot. Em also touched on another single from that EP titled "Spiderman" and how the song was about her current boyfriend. "It's funny because one of the lines is 'I want what I can't have' and now I have him." She also put in her two cents on who her favorite Spiderman is, mentioning that she thinks Andrew Garfield is better but that as a huge Tom Holland fan, it's a tough choice.
Throughout her songwriting process and musical journey, Em’s mental health, specifically her struggles with anxiety, has been a common theme within her music. She discusses how she deals with the pressures to succeed in the industry and how she keeps herself grounded. When asked how she navigates the highs and lows of being an artist she responded, “I think I’m very much figuring it out. The pressure of the moment is hard but exciting at the same time. I’d say it’s important to stay grounded, keep working, and have a community of people that you love and that love you around.” The singer-songwriter mentions how she had gone on a writing trip with her favorite collaborators to Palm Springs and how that helped bring her peace through being in the moment and not looking at her phone constantly. “I think that’s another thing. Not looking at your phone 24/7 and remembering to live. And that moments inevitably are gonna end but it doesn’t mean you’re not worthy anymore. It’s just how the industry works. ”
In many of her songs, Em also incorporates her struggles with mental health and anxiety through touching on the idea of how songwriting is a form of therapy, and how she stands by not escaping her problems. “For me things in moderation are fine but it’s healthier to understand the root of your problems instead of running away from them.”
As Em’s music journey essentially started on Tiktok, social media as a whole has had a unique impact on her career. She’s known to interact with her fans via Tiktok, Instagram, and through DMs constantly, even incorporating their comments into her music. She touched on the meaning of one of her earlier singles, “Groundhog Day” and how she came about creating it.
“I remember every time I opened my eyes I was like I’ve seen this exact vision everyday. This day’s gonna be the same, I’m gonna apply to a bunch of different jobs and no ones gonna respond, what’s the point. And it just felt impossible. So that’s why I started Tiktok-ing because I was like I can’t get any opportunities so I’m gonna try to create opportunities for myself.”
However, the artist makes sure to maintain balance when it comes to how much she allows it to affect her songwriting. She talks about how she takes into consideration her audience on social media, such as her Tiktok followers, when she’s making another single. “I try to keep it separate. I think you sacrifice your art a bit when you’re writing for a medium like Tiktok. It’s definitely super helpful but I wouldn’t say I write for it.” Regarding using fan comments in her music she responded saying “It’s fun to incorporate what they say but to write my truth I need to have a bit of separation without going too far into what exactly everyone wants.”
Now with the release of “Roller Coasters Make Me Sad,” the narrative seems to be completely switched as she now finds herself navigating her success within her career and the industry. The songwriter explained saying “Things are changing things are happening. I guess in my head I was convinced that once you’re successful all your questions are answered but I didn’t realize it can get hard in a different way. You never quite reach the answer even when you get what you want.” When it comes to collaborations and how she brings in the vulnerability she typically incorporates in her music she stated that “with a collab there’s a different intention. Writing for a collab is more free and fun, for myself I have to be deeply honest.”
In terms of musical influences and some of her favorite artists, Em constantly credited Regina Spektor as one of her biggest inspirations, recalling the first time she heard “The Call” in 4th grade at summer camp and how that made her want to start writing music. She also mentions artists such as Sara Bareilles, Lily Allen, Kate Nash, and other female songwriters of the late 90s and early 2000s and names them as other artists she takes inspiration from. “I don’t wanna copy any of the new stuff because I become what everyone else is. So I tend to stick with my early references.” When asked who she would like to one day collaborate with, Em answered that she would love to take it full circle and collaborate with Regina Spektor herself.
Throughout her still early career, Em Beihold has already gone on multiple tours, opening for artists such as King Princess, The Jonas Brothers, and AJR. As she’s set to open for Lewis Capaldi this spring, Em talked about how she gets ready for a tour and her process. This typically includes about 3 or 4 full days of rehearsals beforehand as well as fittings. She mentions how she hasn’t really delved much into fashion yet so she has a stylist for her tour, but she would like to get into that aspect more someday. She also mentions some bad habits of hers and what she would like to do differently for her upcoming shows. “I pack literally hours before I leave. It’s so bad I need to stop doing that because I always forget something. And this time I wanna work out a good amount in advance. Sometimes I get nervous and I physically shut down during shows, so I’d like to build up my endurance a little.” When asked about what it’s like performing live in front of hundreds of people Em answered that “it’s the most incredible feeling. On social media talking to everyone is incredible but looking at someone’s face in person is so different. I wrote ‘Numb Little Bug’ when I was at a really low place in my life so it’s crazy seeing people scream lyrics that resonate so personally to me.”
With the incredible journey that Em Beihold has been through with her music topping the charts and going viral only within a year, her career as an artist has only just begun. As she discusses navigating her sudden success and the pressure she deals with from the industry, the singer-songwriter made sure to give some advice to her younger self. "Once you reach a point of success you can't go back and feel the normalcy, and I kind of miss it. Just enjoy every step and take the time to feel it and don't be concerned about things happening quickly. Just breathe, that's something I'd say as well."
Listen to Egg in the Backseat here
Listen to "Roller Coasters Make Me Sad" here
Check out the official lyric video here
Follow Em Beihold on Instagram
Thank you to 1824 for the opportunity to hear from Em Beihold!