Em Beihold Chats About Her Comeback, New Single “Brutus,” and Future Plans

Written By: Angelica Whitney

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Photo By: Dillon Matthew

Singer-songwriter Em Beihold released her debut EP Infrared in 2017, her second EP Egg in the Backseat in 2022, and a few singles and collabs since then. Her recent music release kicks off her comeback, as she looks forward to her debut album and merging emotions with colorful visuals soon.

With lines like “You're an obsessive revolutionary riot” to “You're Caesar and I'm Brutus minus that part of the knife,” Em connects jealousy and self-doubt with historical betrayals through her newest song. The music video showcases this theme visually, with the feeling of falling short of who you wish you were, being compared to Em as different versions of herself constantly in a metaphorical competition with others.

Em Beihold, who currently has over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify, began her rise to stardom with previous hits such as “City of Angels,” “Numb Little Bug,” and her feature on Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You.” After her headlining Maybe Life Is Good Tour, Em took time to reflect, and later combated writer's block as she worked on her next record. Her lyrics are consistently vulnerable, connecting with fans of all ages and backgrounds. “Brutus” is a perfect example of Em’s unique musical style, whimsical visuals, and emotional lyrics all blending together into a song that many people can relate to.

We chatted with Em Beihold about her new single, from its message to how it fits into her larger plans for her next musical project. Read it all below and be sure to support Em by following her on social media and listening to her music on all streaming platforms!

GM: How are you feeling about “Brutus” being released? It’s kind of your comeback to releasing new music, which is so cool!

EB: Yeah, I'm feeling really excited! I've done a few singles and collabs since my EP in 2022, but I feel like this is the most intentional release I've had in a while. It’s just a really meaningful one for me because it was the song that got me out of a very long writer's block and kind of started the process of making this album. So, yeah, I really couldn't be more excited. It feels awesome to be back!

GM: Would you be able to talk a bit more about that creative process, especially with the writer's block? I feel like so many people experience that in different ways.

EB: After “Numb Little Bug,” it was such a whirlwind. It was exciting and amazing in so many ways, but also, when you have a successful song like that, you do get kind of shoved into the industry and the workings of it. I was put in a lot of writers rooms with producers and writers I hadn't met, and there were times that three to four times a week I'd be meeting new people and spilling out my guts (as one does in a songwriting session) and then not really getting a song by the end of the day that I'd be excited about. I think doing that process too many times over had me losing my voice, so I got really burnt out. No one told me I had to chase the success of “Numb Little Bug”. But of course, when you have a Hot AC number one on the radio, you want to get back there. I feel like I was sort of clouded by all these things that were secondary to loving music. When I took a break and reevaluated everything, it was a dark time, but it was necessary. And then “Brutus” came out of that.

GM: You mentioned that you’re working on an album, right? How are you choosing the next song you want to release on that?

EB: Yes, Brutus is the first single off of an album, which I really don't know the release date of the album. I think the album has a bunch of different sonic flavors, and the singles are kind of just a little peek into each one.

GM: When you were writing, especially for “Brutus” or any of those songs that might be on the album, did you feel like you were kind of writing them for yourself, the fans that are going to listen to it, or a mix of both?

EB: “Brutus” was completely for myself. I was dealing with a self-comparison that felt chronic because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I would do something and be like, would this person do that? Would that person do that? I think that comes with not really being friends with yourself. I kept trying to write a song about the comparison where I wasn't putting the person I'm comparing myself to down, saying they're evil, or making myself sound weak and self-deprecating. “Brutus” was a song that felt freeing to write because I got the heaviness of self-comparison in it, but I think I also got the levity, which is important in my songs. Especially with the “but you're Caesar and I'm Brutus minus that part with the knife” part – it's a very Em lyric, and I lost my voice for a while, so it was transformative in a way to get that back.

GM: I love how you draw comparisons between the feelings of jealousy and self-doubt with historical events! How did you feel about that component in the song?

EB: I think there's some comfort in realizing that comparisons are historical, like it's just part of human nature, and throughout history. The music video is just like little vignettes of historical comparison. So, for anyone who feels that, I hope that this song makes them feel less alone in that feeling.

GM: The music video for “Brutus” is amazing! I loved the historical references and how you included fencing (since you have been doing fencing for years). What were your ideas going into the process of creating the video, and how was the experience of filming it?

EB: At first, I was going to do little historical vignettes just for social media content, because I was trying to find creative ways to have an angle on a song like “Brutus.” Then, I was like, “Well, why don't we just double down and do the music video, and then we can cut these down for socials?” I started with the idea of, obviously, Brutus and Caesar, but Mozart and Salieri is a big one. When I saw the movie Amadeus, I was like, “Oh, I feel like Salieri so much sometimes.” I wanted to do a political race too, but I didn't want to be too political about it. So, it's like Beihold vs an opponent in the video. I've been fencing since I was eight, and I've always wanted to do fencing in a music video. When I was a competitive fencer, fencers had ratings, so you could be A through E or unrated (with A being the best). I was a B, but I would psych myself out when I was fencing A-rated fencers, even if I had all the means to beat them. I'd be like, “Oh, they're an A, I'm not supposed to beat them.” I think that played into this comparison thing as well.

GM: You played some small, intimate shows back in April. How was that experience, especially now looking towards the future and maybe playing more shows?

EB: It was incredible! I felt so myself. I've done a lot of touring where I  felt like I was cosplaying as a pop girl. I think, especially with a song like “Numb Little Bug” and doing these big radio shows and amphitheaters, it felt like I was trying to be a spectacle, and I was supposed to be a performer. I forgot that Regina Spektor is the reason that I write music, as well as Feist and Sara Bareilles, and these more instrument-playing girls. So, I think having a whole show that was just me on piano allowed me to trust myself again, and it also felt a lot more natural.

GM: I had the chance to see you during your Maybe Life Is Good Tour, and loved seeing how fans connected with you at those medium-sized shows, such as through the VIP soundcheck and Q&A. The intimate shows also helped fans feel closer to you. Do you plan to keep those interactive components in mind when planning future projects or even tours?

EB: Totally! I love connecting with my fans. Honestly, I'm DMing them every day like they're my friends in a way. I valued that I was able to do one-on-one meetings on the tour I did in April. When the shows get a little bigger, as much as I'd love to do that, the group hang is helpful because I want to give everyone the right amount of energy. I love any chance I get to connect with fans, and I have the most fun.

GM: How do you keep yourself grounded during touring and the stress it may cause, whether you’re playing smaller or larger shows?

EB: I don't know if I've done it successfully in the past. Tours can be very emotional, but I think going forward, I've learned in the past year how to take care of my mental health more. I think just having a mindfulness routine and meditation helps. When you're in the van for hours, you're on your phone just scrolling and seeing the same posts you've seen all day because you don't know what else to do when you're in the middle of nowhere. Still, I want to start listening to books on the road, organize my photos, or just do some things that are not falling into the trap of my phone.

GM: I’ve seen so many fans excited about your comeback with “Brutus” and other upcoming projects! What is one thing that you want them to know about yourself and the process of creating this new music?

EB: I think this album is the most Em thing to date. It took a while to find myself. It's not like it's very different from past releases, but all of these songs are ones that were just very carefully selected and worked on for years. There are some parts of the album where I wrote the hook when I was 13, and it's just been stuck in my head since I was 13 – I'm 26 now. So, it feels like a homecoming in chess.

GM: As we near the end of our interview, I’d love to ask you a fun question! If you had to describe your song “Brutus” as a pasta, what pasta shape or type would you pick and why?

EB: I think that “Brutus” is a tortellini because there is a meaning inside the shell. I don't know if it makes total sense to me, so I'm not going to elaborate further.

GM: Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans about this release?

EB: With “Brutus,” it is about comparison. I just want to say I feel like so many people deal with it because of the social media landscape that we live in. I think that a reminder to turn your phone off sometimes is really important. Also, a reframe that I have learned recently is that instead of feeling the bitterness of jealousy, think of it more like collecting data as to what you really want. Maybe you don't know how to get to where you really want, but it doesn't mean you can't just because this other person is doing it. So, if you can find a way to make jealousy more of an inspiration rather than a bad feeling, then you're winning.

Interview & Article by Angelica Whitney for STREET GRRRLS / GRRRL MUSIC. Text slightly edited for length and clarity.

Main Em Beihold Website: https://www.embeihold.com/ 

Links to “Brutus” on streaming platforms: https://embeihold.lnk.to/BrutusWE 

“Brutus” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Jdo_wRssk&ab_channel=EmBeiholdVEVO