Em Beihold knows a thing or two about shapeshifting. On her long-awaited debut album, Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter, arriving this Friday, she unpacks the many versions of herself she has tried on over the years: in relationships, in friendships, and especially in her career. But the heart of the album is not about transformation. It is about what happens when the performance stops working.
Beihold’s life changed overnight when her song “Numb Little Bug” landed on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2022 the candid anthem about her experience with antidepressants cracked the Top 20 and went platinum, cementing her as one of pop’s most refreshingly honest new voices.
The doors that opened were massive. She joined a viral remix of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You,” performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show with James Corden, and hit the road with artists like Jonas Brothers, Lewis Capaldi, and King Princess before launching her first headlining tour in 2024. But after years of nonstop momentum, the high began to fade. Burnout set in. The pressure to deliver a debut album mounted. And suddenly, the artist who once processed everything through songwriting found herself unable to write at all.
In our conversation with Em , she opens up about the identity crisis that followed her biggest success, the writer’s block that forced her inward, and how Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter became less about chasing another hit and more about reclaiming her sense of self.
Breathepop: Let’s talk about your new album Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter. Why do you describe yourself as a shapeshifter and when did you realize something wasn’t working?
Em Beihold: After releasing “Numb Little Bug” in 2022 I had a lot of opportunities that were incredible, but since it was a song on the Hot AC radio it wasn’t really in line with who I wanted to be as an artist. I was sort of cosplaying as this pop-girl when I felt more like Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple at heart. It felt like a version of me that was manufactured to fit a certain role. I think also during this time I was aligning myself with people who weren’t right, because I was afraid to not have a community around me. I suffered from depression from being in these roles that didn’t feel like me. Though, at this point in my life I feel very much like myself.
BP: I loved the album. What was your inspiration for the album art?
Em: I wanted to be a deer in the middle of the road! This image has been in my head for so long, since middle school, and it just fit with the themes of the album and title so well.
BP: You worked with producers on this record that finally understood your voice. What did they hear that the other sessions were missing?
Em: They understood the bones of the song need to start with me. To get my quirkiness across it has to be from me. The angle I approach everything from is important that it’s my perspective. So, I think they just had an understanding about that.
BP: There are heavy themes on the album such as jealousy and depression, but there is still humor and a brightness to it. Was that by design?
Em: Yes very much so. When I was depressed, I wrote very sad dark songs. I don’t think they were bad, but they didn’t feel like me. I wasn’t excited for that to be my next era after what people already knew me for. It was important for me to still talk about those feelings but bring a bit of brightness and levity to it.
BP: How did you balance keeping a song emotional, but polished enough for a pop record?
Em:I trust my gut. I tinker with the songs until they feel right to me.
BP: The lead single “Brutus” goes back to the idea of jealousy. How did you lesrn to protect yourself in this industry when you are constantly compared to other artists?
Em: I feel like my brain spent so much time thinking about that, that at this point it is boring to me. I think its important to protect my world and that goes into what I consume and the people I surround myself with. I try to keep my world feeling magical and not comparative. If theres any feeling of not being good enough for someone I take myself out.
BP: Did the writing of this record heal anything in you?
Em: Very much. I think this jealousy was tearing me apart. It was eating at me every morning when I woke up and before I went to sleep. Everyone would say ‘Trust in yourself.’ But, that’s easy to say, harder to do.
I tried to write a song like “Brutus” for a while, but it was very mean toward the person I would compare myself to or mean to myself. I like that ‘Brutus’ is able to state the facts without being mean.
BP: You’re getting ready to go on another tour! How does that feel?
Em: Yes! I’ll be touring Europe and America in May/ June and I’ll have a show in Singapore before that which is really exciting. It’s going to be the bet tour I’ve done. I know myself so much better this time around.
BP: What is the vibe of the tour?
Em: I want to say whimsical. Whimsical and silly.
BP: Which song are you most excited to sing live?
Em: Dare I say all of them? I’m really excited to sing these songs with people! My favorite feeling is when everyone is singing together. I have been sitting on these songs for so long so it’s exciting they won’t just be my little babies anymore! “Lottery” was written in 2022. “Shiny New Things” was written in 2023. It’s been a process of four years so I’m really excited.
BP: Some of your lyrics on the album you wrote when you were 13-years-old. How do you think your younger self would react to hearing the finished record?
Em: I think she’d freak out! This record is so much like what I would listen to when I was in elementary school on the Marina and the Diamonds channel on Pandora. I think young Em would be very proud of this record.
BP: Is there a track you’re most excited for fans to hear?
Em: Probably “Van Gogh.” I also feel like “Soup” is a sleeper that many people don’t really know about yet.
Em Beihold has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold on our tour will go towards organizations protecting immigrant rights and supporting deportees, migrants and refugees. www.plus1.org.
Pre-order Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter HERE.!
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