A Night with Em Beihold at The El Rey

Photo by Rebecca Bloch

When I walked into El Rey Theater on Wednesday, May 11th, I was honestly not sure what to expect. I had only familiarized myself with Em Beihold’s music days before which made the concert experience all the more exciting. I had no idea about what the crowd would look like or what to expect from the performance. When I looked around the room I saw people of all ages. I quickly came to realize that the crowd mostly consisted of parents with their teenage daughters, boyfriends dancing with their girlfriends, and friend groups of people in their late teens and early twenties. Based on the listening I had done prior to this night, the demographic appeared to fit with the sound. Em Beihold encompasses a fun but sometimes darker pop sound with catchy beats and airy, sweet vocals. 

When Em Beihold came on stage for her opening set, she received a warm welcome from the crowd. I remember her black fringe jacket, the black fringe skirt with hearts on it, and the cute loafers she wore which led me to believe that the performance would be fun, but perhaps touch on some emotional themes because of the lack of color. The outfits and stage presence of the performer truly set the tone for the rest of the set. Em was moving around with a constant smile, and a sweet voice that seemed to pull the crowd in. Her entire presence was charismatic and it was obvious that she loved being on stage. Her performance was immensely engaging and it made the room seem like a comfortable space for everyone. In between her songs she would be sure to engage with the audience by asking questions or providing an answer to whatever people in the crowd were yelling. She would give brief descriptions of her songs before singing which gave the people who were unfamiliar with her music an insight into what experiences inspired her to write the songs and what her music represents. 

What I found to be very interesting was that at times I would look around me and see that the crowd was singing along to the songs - even though Em was the opener and from my experience, people often get introduced to an artist because they open for a headliner they enjoy. To me, this meant that people were already familiar with her songs or perhaps they were so catchy that they caught on quickly. Her breakthrough single, “Numb Little Bug” seemed like to be a hit with the crowd, as the room became filled with dancing, singalong, and smiles. I loved seeing people singing along and engaging with the music - it made the experience all the more fun. 

One particular song that stood out to me was Painful Truth, which tells the story of how she is so addicted to another individual that even when they hurt her she cannot quit on them. She gives every part of herself to them, however, all they do is leave her broken. While the lyrics tell the sad story of the line between longing and addiction, the sound of the song is catchy and fun. Another song that truly caught my attention was her new song, “Too Precious” which is coming out on May 20th. This song addresses the concept of not fitting into the ideal of other people’s expectations. She mentions being seen as too precious and not enough trouble, and follows it with the lyric “sorry for being a struggle”. To me, this song speaks about finding your self-worth outside of other people as it quickly becomes exhausting to satisfy the expectations they might have for you. While the sound of her music was lively and catchy, the lyrics and the sound of her voice was what really intrigued me. If you’re a fan of pop music - definitely check out Em Beihold!