Take Three: Em Beihold
Welcome to P&P's first ever Take Three! We are proud to consider ourselves OG Em Beihold fans - from interviewing her following her EP Egg In The Backseat in 2023, to covering her Maybe Life Is Good tour in 2024, to now witnessing the release of her debut album Tales Of A Failed Shapeshifter and catching her live again on its accompanying tour. Her journey towards this milestone has been neither conventional nor easy, and we are deeply grateful to be celebrating it with her. We remain inspired by her vulnerability, storytelling, and stage presence!
Over the years, Em has remained transparent about how the aftermath of her 2022 breakout hit, "Numb Little Bug," truly affected her. The song received an overwhelming positive response across the board, leaving fans drawn to her diaristic songwriting and mental health advocacy. However, the pressure to follow it up with more hits in order to stay in the spotlight impacted her anxiety; her 2023 single "Rollercoasters Make Me Sad" explores this concept and these feelings. Plus, while "Numb Little Bug" resulted in numerous career-boosting co-writes, she lost touch with her songwriting voice and identity in an effort to please hundreds of new collaborators. A project that's been four years in the making,Tales Of A Failed Shapeshifter sees Em rediscovering her true self after years of "shapeshifting" into different personas. She's no longer "a little bit tired of life" as she sung in "Numb Little Bug," she feels refreshed and confident. She moves through this record and her current live performances in a much more carefree, whimsical manner.
Perhaps the central theme of Tales Of A Failed Shapeshifter can be summarized by a line in the chorus of "Hot Goblin" - "I know who I am, so I don't care." Embracing the qualities that make Em stand out in a sea of rising artists, this record celebrates authenticity and offers raw commentary on her personal experience as an artist. "Shiny New Things" calls out the music industry's obsession with the new fresh face, only to discard them and swiftly move on when someone younger and more exciting comes along. With lyrics such as "They would come for the money, but never for me," another track entitled "Lottery" continues the discussion of people being valued for their fame and wealth, rather than themselves as humans.
Although this wasn't the intention for the record, Tales Of A Failed Shapeshifter did bring Em another hit, the confessional "Brutus." This song speaks candidly about envy, admitting a perspective on friendship that most of us can relate to but are too afraid to express: "You're Caesar and I'm Brutus minus that part with the knife / And I wish you the best while I'm watching from the side / But if I'm speaking honestly, I wish I had your life." Another standout, "Strong Medicine," utilizes the nature and animal motifs that have become an integral part Em's overall brand to characterize pessimism. She reminds us that it's okay if good advice sometimes feels hard to internalize, that bad days are a normal part of one's healing process. In honor of this track, she included an orange pill bottle in her stage setup.
All pictures in the gallery above were taken by Karly Ramnani.
Many people who attended the Maybe Life Is Good tour returned to Em's current tour, but "Brutus" also introduced a demographic of kids and tweens to her music. The Los Angeles show we attended was some audience members' first concert! The bar is being set high for these lucky fans at a young age - we love that they can grow up looking up to someone who navigates the world such softness and assertiveness at the same time, someone who never shies away from speaking candidly about the heavy topics. Few spaces are safer than the one Em Beihold has cultivated, essentially a group therapy session where everyone is dressed as a goblin or a woodland creature.
P&P can't be more thrilled that Em's debut album and accompanying tour has finally arrived; we cannot express how proud we are of her. If you haven't yet had the privilege of seeing Em on the Tales Of A Failed Shapeshifter tour, she's coming to even more cities this fall, so grab your tickets while you can! If you need a little refresher on her discography before she hits the road again, start with this playlist we've curated.
YOU'LL LOVE EM BEIHOLD IF YOU LISTEN TO: Gracie Abrams, Audrey Hobert, MARINA, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Maisie Peters, Madison Beer
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