Em Beihold Released Her Long-Awaited Debut Album 'Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter'
- Sabrina Shahryar
- Mar 2
- 4 min read
Singer-songwriter Em Beihold released her debut album, Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter, on February 27, 2026, via Republic Records. The album has an eleven-song tracklist, which includes her singles, “Scared of the Dark,” “Brutus,” and “Hot Goblin”.
What was the intention behind choosing Scared of the Dark, Brutus, and Hot Goblin as the first songs listeners heard from Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter, and how do they set the tone for the album as a whole?
Em: I thought “Brutus” was a good peek into the piano world. But also a little bit whimsical, without giving too much Pop information or too much of the songwriting information away. “Brutus” was the first song I wrote coming out of writer's block. It was one that kind of proved to me that I was still able to write. So I wanted to honor that as the first one people heard. “Hot Goblin,” I just thought the song was fun and wanted to give a little flavor of Pop. Those three songs capture the overall feelings musically of the album. “Scared of the Dark,” I wrote the chorus when I was thirteen, and it's been stuck in my head since then. I was like, if it's been stuck in my head since then, maybe there is something in sharing the song with people as a single; it has some catchy legs.
You're going on tour this upcoming May. What are some things you do to prepare yourself for the road?
Em: One thing I'm going to try and do this time on the road is take a lot of zinc and vitamin C. I always get sick on the road. Making sure I take better care of myself. Also, when you're on tour often, and in the middle of nowhere, all you can eat is Carl’s Jr. Making sure there are some grocery stops along the way. Fruit is a novelty on tour; you would never believe that a strawberry is crazy. I'm going to try and pay more attention to my health on this tour.
Were there any songs that were especially challenging emotionally to write or record?
Em: I would say a lot of the ways the songs came together were piece by piece. For instance, with “Scared of the Dark,” it truly was a chorus I wrote when I was thirteen, and the rest of it came together years later. Similarly with the song “Lottery,” that one took a few tries to get right, and things were changing even two years later. There are some songs that come out in ten minutes, and some songs that are truly multi-year tweaks.
As Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter is about to meet the world, what do you hope listeners feel or understand about you after hearing the album front to back?
Em: I think they will continue to understand that I am very blunt. I really have no fear of saying how I feel. Hopefully, it opens up a musical, whimsical side. I think the EP I released after “Numb Little Bug” was very pop-focused, but maybe not the truest reflection of me. I think this one is a lot closer to who I am.
Did your writing process change during the album - for example, did you move from writing alone to collaborating more, or the other way around?
Em: A lot of these songs came together in different ways. Normally, when I write, it's like I'll start the idea, concept, or chorus alone and then bring it in to my collaborators. That kind of stayed the same throughout the album. But there were some times when I took a piece of a song I wrote two years ago and was like i still remember this, and how can we shapeshift this song. I changed my mindset; instead of in a session, we have to get a song today. It's more like collecting pieces along the way and seeing how they fit into the puzzle eventually. Again, some songs come out in ten minutes, and some are long projects.
How did you decide what stayed on Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter and what didn’t? Was there a clear filter you used while building the tracklist?
Em: Since “Numb Little Bug,” I probably wrote four hundred songs. Not full songs, but at least half songs with verses and choruses. These are the ones that are most sticking to me and also conceptually carried on the sort of lyrical journey that I feel I started with “Numb Little Bug”. Lyrics are very important to me. Sometimes in sessions, people don't care so much, and it's just catchy Pop. To me, that bores me, and I think it's important to say something in every song. They presented themselves as clear contenders. As far as the track list, it was very much the energy flow with the songs. Also, I think the mental health journey of how you can feel on top of the world and then at the bottom the next day. I think the songs take you through that and how I was feeling.
Was there a specific song on the album that helped unlock the rest of the project once you wrote it?
Em: “Lottery” was a north star on this album for a long time. It was probably the song that was completed first. I think I finished it in 2022. But I wanted it to have the right body of work around it. I had written a lot of other Pop songs that were fine, but didn't really move the needle for me. “Lottery” was one that was important, so I think that one was a defining song for the album.
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