Numb Little Bug

Album: Egg in the Backseat (2022)
Charted: 25 18
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Songfacts®:

  • Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Em Beihold's breakthrough came in 2021 when her song "Groundhog Day" went viral, receiving over 20 million views between TikTok and Instagram Reels. She followed it up with "Numb Little Bug," where she reflects on her struggles with depression and anxiety.
  • On the surface, everything in Em Beihold's life seemed hunky dory. With the success of "Groundhog Day," all her dreams of becoming a popular musician were coming true. However, Beihold was on antidepressants to treat her heavy anxiety, which made her feel disconnected from the world around her and a little tired of life. She compares her feeling of being unhappy, but not wanting to die, to "a numb little bug that's gotta survive."

    "Everything I wanted was happening, but somehow I didn't feel anything," Beihold explained. "I felt numb. Songs weren't really coming to me the way they used to. The antidepressants sucked the soul and energy out of me a little bit. I wrote 'Numb Little Bug' about the feeling."
  • Em Beihold wrote the song with:

    LA-based singer-songwriter Nick Lopez, who has also written with Demi Lovato, Omer Fedi, Dixie D'Amelio, and Marc E. Bassy.

    Musician and producer Dru Decaro. The lead guitarist for R&B artist Miguel, his other songwriting credits include Pop Smoke's "Demeanor," and Khalid's "Retrograde."

    Dru DeCaro also co-produced the track with Elijah Hill and Dallas Caton.
  • Em Beihold and her producers went through about 14 versions of "Numb Little Bug" before hitting on the right formula. "We tried one version that was straight pop, and then we tried another that was more acoustic, but they didn't feel like my sound," she recalled to Billboard. "Then I brought 'Numb Little Bug' to Dallas Caton, and he nailed exactly what I wanted for it."

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