‘Numb Little Bug’ Singer Em Beihold on Scoring a No. 1 Radio Hit and the ‘Double-Edged Sword’ That Is TikTok

variety.com:

Rachel Seo editorOn Aug. 6, Em Beihold’s “Numb Little Bug” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Adult Top 40 chart — nearly a year after the singer-songwriter posted a viral snippet of the song on TikTok, which racked up 7.1 million views and 1.6 million likes.

The song, which was inspired by Beihold’s experiences with antidepressants, has accumulated a slew of accolades since its official release in January: according to Luminate Data, it’s tallied 158 million on-demand streams to date, good for a platinum certification; and with an airplay audience of 771 million, reached No.

18 on the Billboard Hot 100.It’s an out-the-gate success for Moon Projects, the label launched backed by former TikTok exec Mary Rahmani, and an imprint of Republic Records.

And while industry perception of TikTok has shifted in that time — from added value to marketing must — the public has remained loyal to the platform.