Em Beihold on The Power Of Songwriting To Manifest A New Reality
Samantha Colleran, March 2024
Em Beihold has had a roller coaster of a year. From the release of her single “Roller Coasters Make Me Sad”, to touring with Lewis Capaldi, garnering over one billion streams across streaming platforms, and collaborating with the likes of Lauren Spencer Smith and GAYLE, Em has had a lot of success in a short amount of time. In February, the singer released a brand new single titled “Maybe Life Is Good”. Stark honesty is at the core of Em’s lyrical content, which is further showcased in the new release. With musical inspirations such as MARINA, Florence + the Machine, Lorde, and Lily Allen, and aesthetic inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, Em defines her current sound as quirky pop, refusing to be pinned down by a specific genre.
Em reevaluated everything after her debut EP Egg In The Backseat when she began a downward spiral. She figured if she wanted to further pursue a career in music, she had to find a way to maintain her happiness without music being the focal point of that happiness. As she worked through her depression, she had little revelations along the way that gave her a sense of clarity and made the songwriting process less grueling. She realized that songs may not come as easy as she thought they would, and she’s become okay with having more time between her releases.
When “Maybe Life Is Good” was written, Em was feeling the opposite of good. 2023 was a dark period for her full of a lot of writer’s block and constant burnout, so she used songwriting as a way to manifest more positivity into her life. She describes the song as a “pessimistic optimist song”, where she’s trying to find the positive despite feeling pessimistic about things going on in life. Through this tumultuous period, she came to realize that life is both good and bad, and that the balance between the two is completely okay to experience.
The writing session for “Maybe Life Is Good” started out with the idea of friendships falling apart, but nothing was coming to Em. The phrase “maybe life is good” was brought to Em and she immediately knew she had to do something with it because it was exactly what she needed at that point in her life. At first she wasn’t sure if she was going to release it, but during very low moments she kept revisiting the song and she realized that if she needed it, other people may need it as well.
Promoting a song called “Maybe Life Is Good” has in turn made Em’s life better. She’s had a more positive outlook on things since writing and releasing the song, and has learned to be easier on herself in the process. Making time for healthy habits and focusing on hobbies unrelated to music have helped Em maintain her happiness. Exercising regularly, crafts such as embroidery and knitting, and spending time with friends and family that don’t drain her energy have allowed Em to maintain her happiness.
Em has always been a blunt and honest person, which shows in her music. Writing about her mental health and anxiety constantly can be draining, especially when she has to be vulnerable in a writer’s room full of strangers. Bringing up the feelings constantly is also draining, and Em has learned over the course of the past year to find a healthy balance between honesty and digging too deep into her emotions. “Maybe Life Is Good” takes a different approach to the mental health aspect of Em’s music while still holding true to her raw honesty in lyrics. She’s still writing songs that feel true to the message she wants to get across as an artist, but she isn’t constantly digging deep into her soul and rehashing feelings of anxiety.
For the future, Em wants to create enough music to release an album. She hopes to further perfect her craft and continue to be proud of the work she’s doing. Fans can expect Em to continue along the quirky pop sound route with a mix of singer songwriter. Fans can also expect to continue hearing stark honesty in Em’s lyrics as she continues on her musical journey. Em is currently on tour, you can check her website to see if she’s coming to your area. With the tour, Em hopes to create a safe space for fellow optimistic pessimists and highlight the good and bad of life. You can stream “Maybe Life Is Good” on Spotify, Apple Music, or any other streaming service you may use!