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Jem
Birth name	Jemma Griffiths
Born	May 18, 1975 (1975-05-18) (age 32)
Origin	Penarth, Wales, UK
Genre(s)	Trip hop, Pop-Rock, Folk, New Wave
Years active	2002 — present
Label(s)	Sony BMG/RCA/ATO (2003-present)
Website	Jem-Music.Net

Jemma Griffiths (born May 18, 1975 in Penarth, Wales), better known as Jem, is a Welsh singer-songwriter known for her eclectic musical stylings. Her debut album, Finally Woken, includes elements of rock ballads, New Wave-styled electronica and trip-hop. Her throaty, mellow voice is similar in quality to Imogen Heap, Beth Orton, Sophie Barker and to a lesser extent Dido.^{[citation needed]}

Along with electronic producer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Frou Frou), she wrote the song "Nothing Fails", which was later reworked by Madonna and appeared on her 2003 American Life album.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Beginnings 1.2 Career 1.3 Influences 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 EPs 2.3 Singles 2.4 Various 3 External links 4 References

Jem was born in Penarth, Wales, a small town near Cardiff. Her siblings are Chloe, Justin and Georgia; Justin and Georgia are vocals of the band The Weapons.

Although she began singing and writing songs at age thirteen in Swansea, Wales, she decided to head into law and attended Sussex University. However, she spent less time and energy on studies and focused on being a DJ agent, although she did eventually receive a degree in law. There in Brighton, she spent a lot of time promoting club nights, and helped set-up and run the specialist breaks label Marine Parade. She has said she "went to class as little as [she] could without being kicked out"^[1].

In November 1999, she assembled a mobile studio where she further developed her songwriting and music production skills. During this period, she completed four demos that would eventually set up her career in the music industry.

From there, she moved to London where she collaborated with Guy Sigsworth, and then to Brooklyn to work with Ge-Ology (Mos Def, Talib Kweli). In autumn 2002 she met Yoad Nevo, who became her co-producer.

Jem's solo career began in earnest in 2002, when a demo version of the song "Finally Woken" was played on Los Angeles station KCRW. The track became one of the most listener-requested songs at the station, landing her in their top 5 played artists, and all prior to any record label being attached. As a result, Bruce Flohr was so impressed with her demos that he offered Jem a record deal onto Dave Matthews' ATO record label.

She was subsequently signed to the label ATO and released the moderately successful EP It All Starts Here in autumn 2003, followed by the album Finally Woken in March 2004.

Jem released the single "24" from Finally Woken on 2003 as a limited edition promo single. This single wasn't followed by a music video. The single "They", from the same album, was released in the UK on March 13, 2005. A remix of the song was the first release on her vinyl imprint label CrazyWiseMusic.^[2]

She simultaneously began receiving publicity in the US, as her music was featured on numerous television shows such as The O.C., Desperate Housewives, Wonderfalls, Six Feet Under, Crossing Jordan, Grey's Anatomy, and "Wish I" was used as the theme tune to the ITV show Celebrity Love Island. She made a special appearance singing at Julie and Caleb's wedding reception in The O.C.'s season 1 finale episode, The Ties That Bind. Other movies, TV shows and commercials have featured her music:

Song	Production	Year	Where
"Come on Closer"	"Closer"	2004	trailer
"Wish I"	"Celebrity Love Island" "Grey's Anatomy" S. 1, Ep. 7	2004 2005	title theme unofficial soundtrack
"Maybe I'm Amazed"	"The OC"	2004	official soundtrack
"Just a Ride"	"The OC" "Monster-in-Law" "The Prince and Me" "Grey's Anatomy" S. 2, Ep. 2	2004 2005 2005 2005	official soundtrack official soundtrack official soundtrack unofficial soundtrack
"They"	"Crossing Jordan" "Grey's Anatomy" S. 1, Ep. 1 "The X Effect"	2004 2005 2007	unofficial soundtrack unofficial soundtrack title theme
"Save Me"	"Grey's Anatomy" S. 1, Ep. 6	2005	unofficial soundtrack
"Flying High"	"Grey's Anatomy" S. 2, Ep. 20 "One Tree Hill" S. 2, Ep. 15	2005	unofficial soundtrack
"Amazing Life"	"Six Feet Under" Lexus ES 350	2005 2006	official soundtrack advert
"24"	"Ultraviolet" "Smallville"	2006 2005	trailer unofficial soundtrack
"Once in Every Lifetime"	"Eragon"	2006	official soundtrack
"California Sun"	"Grey's Anatomy" S. 03, Ep. 22	2007	unofficial soundtrack

Jem performed live at KCRW Radio in 2002 and 2004; WOXY in 2004; Popworld, Glastonbury, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Sasquatch! Music Festival, V Festival, and Top of the Pops in 2005.

As of October 2006, Jem was working on her next album with producers Jeff Bass and Lester Mendez. It was to be released in early 2007^[3]; its current status is unknown.

Jem's influences span many genres of music. She describes her inspirations as a "strange mix of soul, hip hop, reggae, dance music, film soundtracks, classical music and cheesy love songs", from Stevie Wonder to the soundtrack of the Braveheart movie.^[4]

• Finally Woken 24 March 2004
  #6 (UK); #197 (US)

• It All Starts Here 13 October 2003

• "They" - 2005 #6 (UK); #38 (AUS);
• "Just a Ride" - 2005 #16 (UK)
• "Wish I" - 2005 #24 (UK)

Song	Production Title	Year	Production Genre
"Just a Ride"	Music from the OC: Mix 1	2004	soundtrack
"Maybe I'm Amazed"	Music from the OC: Mix 2	2004	soundtrack
"Amazing Life"	Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends	2005	soundtrack
"The Thieves" (feat. The Weapons)	Weapons	2006	album
"Once in Every Lifetime"	Eragon	2006	soundtrack
"Everytime"	Vusi Mahlasela - Guiding Star	2007	album

• Official website
• Official MySpace profile
• Jem Zone
• Molloy, Tim. A Lunch Date With... Jem.

1. ^ Kenly, Emma (2005-03-14). Jem's the best of British. The Sun. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
2. ^ soulseduction.com - jem - they (remix) (January 2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
3. ^ In the studio. Jem: The Official Homepage (2006-09-19). Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
4. ^ Jem: The Official Homepage.

v • d • e Jem
Studio albums	Finally Woken (2004) • TBA (2007)
EPs	It All Starts Here (2003)
Singles	"They" • "Just a Ride" • "Wish I"
Other songs	Amazing Life (2006) • Once in Every Lifetime (2006) • Everytime (2007)

Persondata
NAME	Griffiths, Jemma
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Jem
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Singer, Songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH	June 18, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH	Penarth, Cardiff, Wales
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH