Four years after the success of "Numb Little Bug," Em Beihold is back with her debut album, finally ready to write her story her way. The singer stopped by our Los Angeles studios recently to talk with Bru about her feelings after the viral hit, and how it informed her latest project, Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter.
LISTEN NOW: Em Beihold with Bru
"I wrote it very much about my experience after 'Numb Little Bug.'" Beihold tells Bru about the new album, available everywhere. "I think maybe trying to fit into roles that weren't super natural to me as like this Pop girl, because like my favorite artists are Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor and Mitski, and stuff like that. I feel like, it was amazing what happened with 'Numb Little Bug,' but it was also so fast that I didn't really get to decide what kind of artist I want to be. It's just like, 'oh, Pop dancing in the lineup with 5SOS and Tate McRae,' which is an honor, but also just like a different lane."
Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter finds Em fully in her 2000s singer-songwriter glory, using those artists she referenced as a touchpoint, and a mold that's much more her. "The themes are very much like, journey back to self, going through depression, still a mental health theme because I experienced a lot of mental health after 'Numb Little Bug' and it was a tough time."
A lot changed for Beihold after the success of "Numb Little Bug," and as she tells Bru, she put in the work with therapy to find her way back to herself. "I think you have the pressure of a number one radio song and you're like, 'well, I need to get back there.' That's when everyone paid attention to me and when my career was going well, but again, I don't necessarily write for the Pop standard. So I think it was kind of confusing."
"Music wasn't fun. I was stressed out. I took a step back from being an artist in general, which I thought would be great, but then it led to more depression because I had no schedule and I didn't really know what to focus on," she adds. "It was hard to break out of that thought pattern, but then I did a whole lot of therapy. I did outpatient. I took a whole journey just to get my head on straight again and at this point, I'm approaching music from a very different place where it really is very fun again."
To hear more about Em Beihold's journey to her new album and more, check out the full interview with Bru above. Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter is now available everywhere.