Jemma Gwynne Griffiths (born 18 May 1975), known by her stage name Jem, is a Welsh singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Born and raised in Penarth, Glamorgan, she began songwriting at an early age. After graduating from university in 1996, she worked as a DJ as well as co-founder of record label Marine Parade in Brighton. On 24 March 2004, she released her debut studio album Finally Woken through ATO Records. Featuring the singles "They", "Just a Ride" and "Wish I", the album saw the most success in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Platinum. Jem followed up her debut with her second album, Down to Earth, released on 18 September 2008. Her third album, Beachwood Canyon, was released in 2016.
Early life and education Jemma Griffiths was born in Penarth, Wales, a small town near Cardiff on 18 May 1975. Jem originally found her passion for singing and songwriting whilst attending Stanwell School. During her early school years she explored her musical interests with the family piano, penning her first song at the age of thirteen. Jem has three siblings, older sister Chloe, eldest sister Georgia, who provided vocals for the Welsh indie/punk band Weapons of Mass Belief alongside brother Justin, who also goes by the name Yestyn, of Glass Pear."Wales' sexiest men" Western Mail, 4 December 2010
In 1993, Jem moved to Brighton to study Law at the University of Sussex. Both during her studies and after graduating in 1996, Jem spent time as a club and festival promoter and also began working as a DJ in Brighton's club scene under the name Jem, inspired by the animated series Jem and the Holograms.
Career 1999–2006: It All Starts Here... and Finally Woken In early 1998, alongside Adam Freeland, she co-founded and helped run the specialist breakbeat/hip hop record label Marine Parade. However, after spending two years acting as agent and promoter for other aspiring musicians, she soon felt that she had neglected her own musical career. In November 1999, she left Brighton and returned to Wales, where she assembled a mobile recording studio and focused on developing her own individual songwriting and music production skills, completing a collection of four demos that acted as the basis of her break into the music industry.
In 2000, Jem moved to London where she met Sugababes manager Sarah Stennett, with whom she began a professional relationship. Stennett introduced her to other writers and producers. She had a writing session with electronic producer Guy Sigsworth, during which the song "Nothing Fails" was created; the song was eventually picked up by Madonna for her 2003 studio album, American Life. In 2001, Jem travelled to Brooklyn, New York City, teaming up with hip hop producer Ge-Ology and co-producer Yoad Nevo. In March 2002, Jem stopped by independent radio station KCRW to leave a demo of her song "Finally Woken" in Nic Harcourt's mailbox. Harcourt began playing it on his show Morning Becomes Eclectic. This attracted the attention of Bruce Flohr, an A&R rep for RCA Records and newly established ATO Records, who offered her a recording contract. She was subsequently signed to the label and Jem relocated to Los Angeles.
On 13 October 2003, in preparation for the release of her full-length album, Jem released the EP It All Starts Here..., consisting of five tracks. Her full-length studio album Finally Woken was released in the United States on 24 March 2004. In the United Kingdom, "They" was released as her lead single on 13 March 2005. This was followed by "Just a Ride" in June and "Wish I" in September, which was used as the theme tune to UK reality television programme Celebrity Love Island. Finally Awoken spent 32 weeks on the UK Album Chart and peaked at number 6. Jem licensed every song on her album to be broadcast on American television programs, films and advertisements as a method of promotion. Television program The O.C. was the first to use Jem's music in several of their episodes, eventually inviting her to guest-star on the show. She performed a cover version of Paul McCartney's 1970 song "Maybe I'm Amazed" in the first season finale. Since then, every song from the album has appeared in various television programs, such as Six Feet Under, Desperate Housewives, Without a Trace and Grey's Anatomy.
2007–2009: Down to Earth In 2006, Jem decided to cease touring and to spend a year focusing on writing new material and developing her second studio album. She parted from Yoad Nevo and met with four different producers across the United States. Over the next few years she worked with Jeff Bass in Detroit as well as meeting with Lester Mendez in Los Angeles. Producers Mike Bradford and Greg Kurstin also collaborated with Jem. During the production of her album, Jem wrote and lent her vocals to the song "Once in Every Lifetime" which appeared on the Eragon movie soundtrack.
Jem's second studio album, Down to Earth was released in the United States, Canada, and Japan on 18 September 2008 with the European releases varying by each country between January and March 2009. The album peaked at 48 on the Billboard 200 and 64 on the UK Albums Chart The lead single of the album "It's Amazing" originally appeared on the soundtrack for the 2008 movie Sex and the City. Released 3 June 2008, the song failed to chart in the United States or the United Kingdom. Her following single releases off the album included: "Crazy" in August 2008, "And So I Pray" in May 2009, and "I Want You To..." in October 2009, however, they did not grant as much commercial success as her debut album. On 4 December 2009, Jem released the single "Until the Morning Comes", which was a collaboration with her brother, Glass Pear.
2010–2016: Other projects and Beachwood Canyon In 2011, Jem contributed to the record Ten Years On: A Collection of Songs in Remembrance of September 11th 2001. In 2012, Jem returned to producing her third album. In November, she recorded tracks at the Grand Master Studios, in Hollywood, and originally anticipated a release in early 2013. Outside of music, she also announced that she had spent several years writing a screenplay.
After numerous delays, in January 2016, Jem published the first photoshoots for the Beachwood Canyon album on her Facebook page and announced the official release of the album for spring 2016. The first single "Beachwood Canyon" was released on 1 July. On 5 August 2016, the album was released digitally worldwide.
Musical style Jem's musical style is varied and encompasses genres such as trip hop, electronica, pop rock and new wave, with critics often associating her with other female musicians Dido and Beth Orton.
Personal life In September 2009, Jem married American musician and songwriter Joseph George in Montecito, California. They had originally met in 2005, on the set of filming the music video for "Wish I", where George acted the role of Jem's love interest. They both currently reside in Los Angeles.
Awards and nominations {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Nominee(s) ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| |- ! scope="row" rowspan=3|RTHK International Pop Poll Awards | rowspan=3|2006 | rowspan=2|Jem | Top New Act | | rowspan=3| |- | Top Female Artist
| "They" | Top Ten International Gold Songs
Discography Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions UK AUS IRE US US Heat US Indie Finally Woken First studio album Released: 24 March 2004 Labels: ATO, RCA Formats: CD, download 6 36 15 197 11 — Down to Earth Released: 16 September 2008 Label: ATO Formats: CD, download 64 — — 43 — 4 Beachwood Canyon Released: 5 August 2016 Label: Orchid Entertainment Formats: CD, download — — — — — —
EPs It All Starts Here... (13 October 2003, US only release)
Singles Single Year Peak chart positions Album UK AUS AUT CAN GER IRE ITA NLD SWE US AAA "They" 2004 6 28 15 — 45 8 47 29 47 18 Finally Woken "Just a Ride" 2005 16 — — — — 27 — 89 — — "Wish I" 24 — — — — 27 — — — — "24" — — — — — — — — — — "It's Amazing" 2008 — — — — 77 — — — — — Down to Earth "Crazy" — — — 97 — — — — — — "And So I Pray" 2009 — — — — — — — — — — "I Want You To..." — — — — — — — — — — "Until the Morning Comes"(with Glass Pear) — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single "Beachwood Canyon" 2016 — — — — — — — — — — Beachwood Canyon "Rainbow" 2022 — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single
Music videos Year Song Director Album 2005 "They" Laurent Briet Finally Woken 2005 "Just a Ride" Steven Murashige 2005 "Wish I"Steven Murashige 2009 "It's Amazing" Saam Gabbay Down to Earth 2009 "I Want You to..." Jemma Griffiths
Various SongProduction TitleYearProduction Type"Just a Ride"Music from the OC: Mix 12004soundtrack"Maybe I'm Amazed"Music from the OC: Mix 22004soundtrack"California Sun""Just a Ride"2005single"Amazing Life"Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends2005soundtrack"Easy Way Out"Carmen Rizzo: The Lost Art of the Idle Moment2005album"The Thieves"Weapons2006album"Once in Every Lifetime"Eragon: Music from the Motion Picture2006soundtrack"Everytime"Vusi Mahlasela: Guiding Star2007album"Ecouter"Carmen Rizzo: Ornament of an Imposter2008album"It's Amazing"Sex and the City: The Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack2008soundtrack"Yellow"Sweetheart: Our Favorite Artists Sing Their Favorite Love Songs2009compilation"Until the Morning Comes"Glass Pear: Until the Morning Comes2009single
Song usage SongProductionYearType"Come on Closer"CloserLas VegasLife As We Know ItDesperate Housewives2004200620042004trailerunofficial soundtrackClipOfficial Season 1 Promo"Wish I"Celebrity Love IslandGrey's Anatomy S. 1, Ep. 720042005title themeunofficial soundtrack"Maybe I'm Amazed"The OC2004official soundtrack"Just a Ride"The OCMonster-in-LawThe Prince and MeGrey's Anatomy S. 2, Ep. 2SummerlandShark S2E03Six Feet Under S4E062004200520052005200420072004official soundtrackofficial soundtrackofficial soundtrackunofficial soundtrack"They"The OCCrossing JordanGrey's Anatomy S. 1, Ep. 1The X EffectStrictly Come Dancing2004200420052007unofficial soundtrackunofficial soundtrackunofficial soundtracktitle themeTango/Argentine Tango Track (Series 5/8)"Save Me"Grey's Anatomy S. 1, Ep. 62005unofficial soundtrack"Flying High"Wonderfalls S.1, Ep. 11Grey's Anatomy S. 2, Ep. 20One Tree Hill S. 2, Ep. 15Laguna BeachSex Drive20042005unofficial soundtrack"Amazing Life"Six Feet UnderLexus ES 35020052006official soundtrackadvert"24"UltravioletSmallvilleCenter Stage: Turn It UpWithout a Trace2006200520082005trailerunofficial soundtrackunofficial soundtracktrailer"Once in Every Lifetime"Eragon2006official soundtrack"California Sun"Grey's Anatomy S. 3, Ep. 222007unofficial soundtrack"It's Amazing"Sex and the City: The MovieMedium S. 5, Ep. 89, 9020082009official soundtrackunofficial soundtrack"Crazy"Gossip Girl2008unofficial soundtrack"I Always Knew"902102008unofficial soundtrack"Keep on Walking"Damages S. 2, Ep. 13Orange Is the New Black S. 1, Ep. 1220092013unofficial soundtrack"Forever and a Day"Beastly2011unofficial soundtrack
Notes
References
External links
Jem biography from BBC Wales interview with Glass Pear Glass Pear profile on unkfestivalguides