Singer-songwriter Em Beihold released her new single ‘Maybe Life Is Good’ on February 9th, 2024. Em will be headlining her first tour, the “Maybe Life Is Good Tour” starting on February 22nd.
What are your goals as an artist for 2024?
Em: My goal for this year is maintaining the happiness that I've found. 2023, if I'm being real was a long depressive episode and a lot of writer's block. A lot of things you don't want to happen when you've just entered the music industry. I've just focused on a healthier lifestyle and being easier on myself. Just little things that make me more productive. I think I was really pushing myself like she needs to know the answer to this song, she needs to have all these ideas and question myself so hard. I just completely put this wall up between me and creativity. Backing off of that a little bit, I've been doing what I have been trying to do without the forceful mindset. Really maintaining happiness is my biggest goal. All of the stuff you want follows that.
You titled your new single and tour "Maybe Life Is Good," can you tell us the meaning behind it and how it will play a role on tour?
Em: Writing the song was like a life vest out of depression, I was not feeling any of the feelings that I sang about while I was writing it. But it was truly like a manifestation of more positivity. I think the song talks about, you know, how we always want it to be good but the truth is life is good and bad existing at the same time and that's okay. I went through kind of a dark time but you have to go through it. You can't just put a bandaid on it and be happy all of a sudden. I tend to lean more pessimistic than I would like, I like to call the song a pessimistic optimist song. It’s like eh, your life is good there's a little bit of maybe it's not maybe it is. Why not look at the glass half full instead of half empty. I think it is just about finding the positive. As far as naming my tour that, it sort of summarized the whole energy of what I'm trying to capture as an artist. Which is just the truth of the good and the bad. ‘Numb Little Bug’ is also a happy song about sad things. I'm never gonna be like it's great because that's not realistic. Naming my tour that just felt right to create a safe space for a lot of people who have felt a lot of the same things that I sing about in my songs.
How was it collaborating with Lauren Spencer-Smith and GAYLE?
Em: It was the most fun ever, we were friends from just doing radio shows together. Lauren just texted us one day saying hey do you guys want to be on this song and we were both freaking out and were like yes of course. Also just like having a girl power moment felt so special. I'm really grateful for all the little things I've learned from all the collabs I've done but that one would have to be my favorite because of how close we are. Lauren sent us the song and then we all got in the studio together in LA. We wrote GAYLE's verse and the bridge together. Sometimes writing can be very stressful but it felt more like a hangout and the lyrics came naturally. We were sort of just laughing the whole time, having snacks and talking about boys the whole time.
You've opened up for King Princess and Lewis Capaldi on tour. Is there anything you have learned that has prepared you for your own headlining tour?
Em: Endurance has been a big one, I didn't realize how much endurance is needed for performing on stage. This sounds obvious but literally just having fun, I feel like that makes for a better performance than hitting every note perfectly. For a while I think I was concerned about putting on the perfect show but then it seems more robotic than human and fun. I think it's better to miss a few notes and be laughing and connecting with the audience. Performing has never been something that comes naturally for me. I'm so grateful to be touring but I never dreamed of touring, that was beyond what my music dream was. So I think all of it has been a big learning curve and one that can easily go into embarrassment if I didn't have the best show that I want. It's all experience and I think all the tours I've done at this point are making me really stoked and knowing what to expect for this headline.
When you began writing this new single, where did the creative process start? Was there a specific experience you wanted to capture?
Em: Funny enough, I was writing with Sammy Witte and Casey Smith. We were writing this angsty song about friendships falling apart and then Casey was like I don't think this is the vibe. I was like yeah I think you're right. She actually came to me with a phrase and a chorus "Maybe Life Is Good" and immediately I was like can I have this, can we work on this and make this me. That’s exactly the feelings I need right now. It was pretty quick writing it from there. I will say production went through an insufferable amount of versions to get it right. So life wasn't feeling so good when we were writing that song because it took so many versions. I just knew I needed that song, Honestly for a while I wasn't sure if I was gonna release it. But I just found myself singing it when I was feeling low and coming back to it and I was like I need this song and want to put that message out there.
What is the creative process like for designing the cover art?
Em: I present my sketches and receive some confusion which makes sense if you saw my sketches. "Groundhog Day" was before I was signed and my dad took that photo of me. I had found a friend of a friend who knew how to do Photoshop and I was like these are the colors I was thinking, this is the vibe, I want to be a groundhog. Then he took creative liberty with the specifics of it. "Egg In The Backseat" we hired a photographer who was sending me car options and it didn't quite turn out how I was thinking in the sketch. That's the interesting thing. Sometimes you don't realize how specific you need to be in the minor details because someone sees it a little differently. ‘Maybe Life Is Good’ I said I wanted to be in a forest that was on fire, the artist who did that cover came back with what I had posted recently which I love. I will say not exactly what I was thinking but it was better than what I was thinking. It's interesting because sometimes you give the artist too much detail and you don't let the artist do their thing. But then if you don't give enough it's not really what you were thinking in the first place. The whole creative and art thing has been something I've been trying to navigate. I think everytime we do it, it gets better and closer and the process is a bit easier each time.
What has been your favorite "I made it" moment so far?
Em: I flew my parents out to come watch Jimmy Fallon and I think that day we were all like what is going on. I think once you're on that stage it's just like what. I feel like probably that it just seemed too surreal to be true. Also, them being there because they have been with me through this whole journey and all the highs and lows, my mom and I cried. That was a very special one. A second close one would be opening for the Jonas Brothers in a stadium. That was also like why am I in a stadium, that's crazy. Especially when you're used to playing on TikTok live and you play a little song and no one says anything and you keep moving on. Versus being in a place of that size and meeting the Jonas Brothers and realizing you're the same height as them.
As you head on your first headlining tour, what is one song you're excited to see your fans sing along to?
Em: "Maybe Life Is Good." I would love it if everyone was singing that, that would be great.
Listen to "Maybe Life Is Good" HERE