Em Beihold has been a mainstay on our playlists ever since her song ‘Numb Little Bug’ came out, so it is no surprise that her artistry is displayed in her newest song ‘Hot Goblin.’ We were lucky enough to chat with Em about ‘Hot Goblin,’ the thematic through lines of her recent music, ‘Numb Little Bug,’ and so much more!
Stream ‘Hot Goblin’ here!
Hi Em! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! To start us off, how would you describe your music to someone who is tuning in for the first time?
Hello hello! Thanks for having me! I like to describe my music as quirky piano pop that talks about difficult things with a certain degree of levity. I’ve also been described as a popified Regina Spektor, and I really like that description.
‘Hot Goblin’ is your latest track! The lyric video felt like stepping into a fairy tale book. When crafting this track, was the inspiration immediately tied to that aesthetic?
Not really! When I was writing the song, I was initially thinking more along the lines of the experience of being a woman and how fickle our relationship with confidence can be. The fairytale stuff came after and felt obvious once the concept was solidified.
Something that immediately drew us to ‘Hot Goblin’ was the vulnerability hidden within this musically upbeat pop track, the understanding of insecurities, but the ability to still find confidence in that. What do writing sessions look like for a song that presents vulnerability in this way?
I think my co-writers Nick Lopez, Jason Suwito, and I had a lot of fun figuring out what the term “hot goblin” means. As a girl who definitely feels the pressure to constantly present as put-together, fashionable, hot, etc. (especially from social media), it felt freeing to put a name to the feeling of embracing your insecurities and messy parts while still loving yourself completely and not feeling less than.
I also wanted the song to be about that feeling on top of the world one day and at the bottom the next, so ‘Hot Goblin’ became a way to give language to that cycle. Nick has been a close friend since we wrote ‘Numb Little Bug’ together, and Jason came into my life during a rough patch in my career, so there was already a lot of trust in the room. After we laughed about the phrase “hot goblin,” which I brought into the session (kind of as a joke), they both got it and locked in immediately. That balance of humor and honesty made the writing process really special. I write my favorite songs when I’m laughing.
‘Brutus’ is another recent release of yours! This track features some of our favorite visuals from you yet! Where did the creative vision for this video come from? And what was that on-set experience like?
I was really inspired by the movie Amadeus, which my mom showed me when I was going through an intense, unforgiving period of depression, where I couldn’t stop comparing myself to other female artists who were creatively unblocked and more successful than me. I related to the character of Salieri and thought it would be fun to bring that rivalry with Mozart as a vignette alongside a few others to tell the story of what I was feeling. The on-set experience is one I will never forget because it was a day full of fun and laughter with friends, which felt SO full circle after a year of essentially crying every day and hating being in my skin. I was so happy to be me and felt so proud of the art that came out of such a hard time. I also checked off two big goals of mine, which were: one, working with my co-director, Ethan Frank, whom I’ve been a huge fan of for years, and two, fencing in a music video since I was a competitive fencer for many years.
With both ‘Hot Goblin’ and ‘Brutus,’ the themes around the visuals are locked into days of old, with fairy tales and gladiator times. Is there an intentional through line there?
You know what; accidentally yes. It wasn’t intentional, but I think the whole album has puzzle-pieced itself together more than I planned for. It’s whimsical, it has hints of classical music, and instruments like the harpsichord! There’s definitely some fun “historical” stuff in there.
Egg in the Backseat came out three years ago! Is there a song on that record that, for you, has just gotten better with time?
I would say ‘Goo,’ because my fans have really taken to that one at my live shows. It’s kind of a sleeper, dare I say!
We, of course, have to briefly touch on ‘Numb Little Bug!’ Now that you are three years separated from the release of the track, how has your relationship to this song changed as time has gone on?
Oh my gosh! I wrote that song about my unfortunate experience with antidepressants, and now (after lots of trial and error), I’ve found one that has absolutely changed my life. It’s a cool marker of where I was then, and how much I’ve grown. I will always appreciate the response to that song and how much it changed my life.
Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we let you go, what can fans look forward to as we close out 2025?
My debut album is coming out very soon in 2026! It’s the proudest I’ve ever been of anything I’ve made. It’s about my journey through depression, experiencing complete loss of self, and how I have come out on the other side to be the happiest and most me I have ever been. It’s fun and pop and silly, and I’m ready for 2025 to be done so I can finally share this new music with my fans!
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1 Comment
I absolutely love her and her music. I feel both comforted and unsettled by her songs—they make me want to scream and run. Her melodies get stuck in my head like an itch I just can’t reach. I feel truly seen by what she creates.