Live Review
Few artists can captivate a wide variety of ages and demographics like Em Beihold can. After watching her growth and maturity personally across several tours and music releases, I can confidently say that Beihold has a unique starpower that has elevated her to one of my favorite artists to watch live.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter visited the famed Atlantis venue in Washington, D.C., and brought her usually high-quality performance to the nation’s capital. I was visiting D.C. for a journalism workshop and was ecstatic when I saw that Beihold was performing just a mere three-minute walk away from where I was staying. As I walked down the street to the venue, I chatted with two Beihold fans who were eager to see one of their favorite artists perform. One of the fans, a young girl, remarked how excited she was to see Beihold for her first concert.
The show began with opener Janani K. Jha, the singer-songwriter from the Bay Area. Known for hits like “Achilles Heel” from her debut album The Rest of the Laurels, Jha showed confidence that matched her superb songwriting and vocal talent as she marched along the stage, interacting with the crowd.
When Beihold came onto the stage, the tightly-packed, full crowd greeted her, as she sat down at her keyboard and began the show with “Scared of the Dark.” As I sat between the barricades taking photos, I could hear the entire audience singing along with Beihold, to the point where the concert was basically a sing-along event. This ability to capture an entire venue’s attention is a rare one that Beihold clearly posseses. Even though the tracks are only a few months old, the songs from her latest album have resonated with her fans.
Earlier this year, I was able to ask Beihold a few questions before her project Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter released. Fans have always identified with her songwriting, which seems to perfectly balance humor with heavy emotional truths. I asked Beihold if that contrast was important on the album.
I have a very dark sense of humor, and it’s truly how I get through life, and I feel like it’s important for my music to reflect that, and also, as I think about, you know, my show and tour, I want to bring an energy where the audience can feel like, yeah, we feel this too, but we’re just little humans, and it’s also silly sometimes.
Em Beihold
Beihold’s next song in the show was one of my personal favorites. The song, “Brutus,” comes from the latest album and discusses the themes of jealousy and envy. Among several metaphors, the music video shows Beihold as Brutus, referencing the rivalry between Julius Ceasar and Marcus Brutus that led to Ceasar’s assassination in the Roman Republic. I also asked Beihold about the video and the concept behind it.
I was dealing with comparison, [in] 2024 mainly, that was just eating me up so much that I would wake up and just be like, “Oh, why am I not this girl or that girl? Like, what’s wrong with me? And just like, I couldn’t be myself, and there’s something so fulfilling to be shooting that music video, and like laughing with friends, and being dressed up in these costumes, and just sort of laughing at it after the fact, because it was something that was so hard.
Em Beihold
Beihold has proven to fans and the world that she is ready for the big stage. The tour, Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter, is the perfect accompaniment to the album of the same name. The cheerful, sometimes humorous, but deep songwriting skills are on display through the project and her concerts, as I was able to witness in D.C. I eagerly await what she has next, and perhaps we’ll be catching Beihold headlining arenas very soon.
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