[Maybe life is Good – Em Beihold]
It’s been exactly a week since Valentine’s Day and if you weren’t one of those people celebrating the holiday with a partner or friends or just completely confident in your single status, it can be an emotional time. A time when you start pulling out your playlist filled with emotional music. Luckily for you, upcoming artist Em Beihold would be a perfect addition to that playlist.
Beihold is a Los Angeles-based, emotionally transparent artist who stepped into the spotlight in 2022 with the release of her self-written major-label debut single “Numb Little Bug.”
[Num Little Bug – Em Beihold]
The song went viral on TikTok and peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It would later become a platinum record. Beihold has since released an EP and various singles, including the February 9th release of “Maybe Life is Good.”
WNUR was invited to Beihold’s press conference ahead of the single’s release.
EM BEIHOLD: Writing that song was, what I called like a life vest out of depression, I was not feeling any of the feelings that I sing about while I was reading it. But it was truly like a manifesting of more positivity. And I think that song talks about how, like, you know, we always want us to be good, but the truth is that life is good and bad, existing at the same time. And that’s okay. And it’s also like, you know, I went through kind of a dark time, but you have to go through it, you can’t just put a bandaid over it and just, like, be happy, all of a sudden.
Beihold’s latest single acknowledges the highs and lows of life. Like her past releases, the song draws from her relationship with anxiety and depression.
BEIHOLD: I’ve never been hesitant to be vulnerable, because that’s the reason I started writing in the first place. Like before even releasing anything I just wrote for myself.
Embracing her vulnerability and sharing it with the world, has brought a new sense of joy.
BEIHOLD: Promoting a song called Maybe life is Good has made my life better I would say, because you’re kind of forced to have this like, positive outlook.
Which is notably beneficial, considering the challenges she had last year.
BEIHOLD: My goal for this year is maintaining the happiness that I have found because 2023, if i’m being real, was a very long depressive episode with a lot of writer’s block, and a lot of things that you don’t want to happen when you have just entered the music industry. Um, so I feel like yeah, I’ve just focused on like, I think a healthier lifestyle, being easier on myself, like just little things that honestly make me more productive. I think I was really pushing myself like, oh, my gosh, you need to know the answer to this song and you need to always have ideas and like, by pushing myself so hard, I just completely put this wall up between me and creativity and I feel like yeah, just kind of backing off of that a little bit.
And as someone who uses her mental health as inspiration for her songs, its a unique hurdle.
BEIHOLD: As music has become my job, and what that looks like, is like having a lot of sessions where i’m writing songs all the time. It’s a little difficult to like, dig deeply into my soul so much and like often with strangers that I haven’t met before in a writing room, but cuz I think doing so much of that, and then you don’t always get the song and it can just kind of lead to burnout.
Despite these difficulties, Beihold continues to be vulnerable in her music.
BEIHOLD: Cause the other thing is i’ll also write about my anxiety alot but then if i’m always writing about my anxiety, I’m just continuing the feelings of anxiety and bringing those backups. So it’s been an interesting journey to figure out how to not like deplete myself but as an artist, if I’m going to be anything, it’s going to be honest and blunt and true, and that will always remain.
Even with potential risk of burnout and depletion there still a cathartic element to writing about your feelings.
BEIHOLD: I will say the production went through like, an insufferable amount of versions. So life wasn’t feeling so good when we were working on songs because it took so many. But I just I knew that I needed that song.
Yet, part of what led her to become an emotional singer-songwriter, was a departure from her classical music background.
BEIHOLD: I’ll say that I started writing because I got bored playing classical music so I’d be playing like Bach or Chopin or whatever and then I would just see where else it could go rather than where it was supposed to go because I wasn’t quite interested in in like, playing the notes that were written down for me I wanted to make my own. (19:12)
Although she does still have some favorite pieces. Including black coffee.
[Black Coffee – Paul Francis Webster & Sonny Burke performed by Eugene Portman]
Accompany the release of “Maybe Life is Good” is Em’s first headline tour, Maybe Life is Good Tour. Which had it’s first show yesterday February 20 in San Francisco, California which sold out.. However this isnt the first time Beihold is taking on the big stage. She has opened for artist like the Jonas Brothers and Lewis Capaldi. Which has helped her with dealing with her stage fright and becoming a better perfomer.
BEIHOLD: I’m so grateful to be touring, but I never dreamed of touring, that was like beyond what my music dream was. So I think all of it has been just like a big learning curve.
Beihold’s prior experience also made her realize how important endurance is to performing and just having fun
BEIHOLD: For a while I was concerned about it to put on the most perfect show, but that it seems like more robotic than human and fun. And I think it’s better to like miss a few notes because like, laughing and like connected to the audience.
Having established a space for people to get together to be open about their feelings and mental health, it felt only right for Beihold to partner with Active Minds for her Tour.
BEIHOLD: If I can do a little part in making the world just a little bit better, I’m always going to choose that.
Active Minds is a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health, especially amoung young adults by providing resources and reducing the stigma surronding mental health. Beihold is working with the a aorganization for the tour, where $1 per ticket will go to support Active Minds mission.
But it doesnt stop there. She is also working HeadCount who will be traveling on the road with her to make sure her fans are registered to vote.
BEIHOLD: Change happens at the local levels and I think just part of that is like having the youth that actually engage in voting and if you look at the statistics and not a lot of youth actually do vote so I think Just making that easily success. Not easily accessible. That’s what I’m looking for for my fan base just felt like an important thing that I love to be a part of.
With a new song out, a tour underway with multiple sold out shows and a platinum record under her belt, what could be next for the artist. Beihold says…
BEIHOLD: Hopefully an album would be really great. I think the writing process has been difficult for me because I’m so specific. And what I want to be doing and I think just like cracking the code to what makes an Em song would be really great. So I’m really just thinking about like nailing my craft more than your typical like I want to grammy or I want this like I’m not even thinking about that I just want to be really proud of what I’m doing.
But there are certain moments in Beihold’s journey where she experiences theat sense of pride, a “I’ve made it” kind of moment.
BEIHOLD: I flew my parents out to come watch Jimmy Fallon and I think that day we’re all like, what is going on? Cause like. I don’t know once you’re on that stage it’s just like What? I feel like. It just seemed too surreal to be true and also just them being there because they’ve been through this whole journey and all the highs and the lows and like my mom and I cried and that was a very special one.
Hopefully, Beifold’s future will be filled with more moments like that, but until then, her music will remain a staple in everyone’s sad hours playlist.
[Maybe Life is Good]
For WNUR News, I’m Karrah Toatley
