'Numb Little Bug' Singer Em Beihold Talks A No. 1 Radio Hit And The 'Double-edged Sword' That Is TikTok

On August 6, Em Beihold's "Numb Little Bug" hit No. 1 on the US Adult Top 40, nearly a year after the singer-songwriter posted one of the song on TikTok , which had 7.1 million views and 1.6 million likes. The song, which was inspired by Beihold's experiences with antidepressants, has racked up a host of accolades since its official release in January: according to Luminate Data, it's had 158 million on-demand streams to date, good for a platinum certified; and with a streamed audience of 771 million, reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It's a smash hit for Moon Projects, the label launched with backing from former TikTok executive Mary Rahmani and an imprint from Republic Records. And while industry perception of TikTok has changed during this time — from value-added to marketing needs — audiences have remained loyal to the platform.

Ahead of Beihold's performance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" tonight, the Los Angeles native spoke with Variety about the success of "Numb Little Bug," appearing on the soundtrack director Billy Porter's "Anything's Possible" debut, his label experience, and the challenges that come with being named a "TikTok artist."

What was your reaction when you found out that "Numb Little Bug" was one of the best songs on the radio?

I was just like, "There's no way I can be above Lizzo and Harry Styles." With a lot of things that happened with "Numb Little Bug", it all happened so fast that I don't normally react strongly to things, but this one I did. Like this, I started jumping. I was just like freaking out.

In May, Variety reported that Mary Rahmani was launching Moon Projects. You're the first artist she signed - what about Moon Projects and did you particularly enjoy working with her?

I fell in love with Mary right away. She also pointed out that she really cares about mental health and [wants] the artist to go to therapy and stuff like that. I thought that was really cool, because we prioritized the same things. She is completely Persian. I'm half Persian, so we kind of bonded over that. I like the idea of ​​being signed to an imprint with a major label instead of a major label from the start, because you tend to be on a timer with like a Republic or a Sony or Universal, so I liked not having that pressure, because I'm definitely still in the development phase.

Since Mary is from TikTok, how has her understanding of this ecosystem affected your relationship with her?

That was super important, because obviously, like TikTok, that's how things started to work for me. So having someone with that experience seemed like the perfect fit, and especially with “Numb Little Bug,” she had a creative campaign going. She advised me on how many times to post and what to repost. Most A&R's are "post a lot," and that's all they can say. But she was able to address it with precision and anytime I had questions I could go straight to her which was super helpful.

Looking back on that track with her, she said she wanted to sign artists and not just someone who got the song going viral, which I think is a very important distinction. Is the TikTok artist label something you're trying to transcend? Or is it something you're trying to lean into?

Yeah, I don't want to be a TikTok artist. I feel like there are people making music for the content, which is totally fine. And then there are people who were making music even before TikTok obviously existed. And I would rather be in the latter category, because I don't want to associate my music with clickbait lyrics and titles, but I want to be as well known as an artist. For example, I think Shawn Mendes started out on Vine, but you never consider him a Vine artist.

How does knowing you're going to promote music on TikTok affect your writing style?

It doesn't really affect the way I write. But I will say it as affects which part I will show on TikTok. You know "Groundhog Day"? "All my friends keep getting married, then they're gone", then "Numb Little Bug": "I don't feel anything" or "Have you ever been a little tired of life", like just a little bit the first line is important with what you tease. I don't want to let the platform dictate my artistry.

I know you've talked about this a bit before, but many artists, for example Halsey, have complained about TikTok and how it's kind of taken over the music...