Jem (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jem
Jem performing on the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 26 June 2005
Background information
Birth name	Jemma Gwynne Griffiths
Born	(1975-05-18) 18 May 1975 (age 50) Penarth, Glamorgan
Genres	Trip hop electronica pop rock new wave folktronica
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, screenwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1998–present
Labels	ATO MapleMusic Recordings (Canada) Sony BMG RCA
Associated acts	Glass Pear, Weapons of Mass Belief

Jemma Gwynne Griffiths (born on May 18, 1975), known as Jem, is a singer, songwriter, and music producer from Wales.

She grew up in Penarth, Glamorgan, and started writing songs when she was young. After finishing university in 1996, she worked as a DJ. She also helped start a record label called Marine Parade in Brighton. On March 24, 2004, Jem released her first album, Finally Woken, through ATO Records. This album included popular songs like "They", "Just a Ride", and "Wish I". It was very successful in the United Kingdom, selling enough copies to be certified Platinum. Jem then released her second album, Down to Earth, on September 18, 2008. Her third album, Beachwood Canyon, came out in 2016.

Jem's Early Life and School Days

Jemma Griffiths was born in Penarth, Wales, on May 18, 1975. Penarth is a small town close to Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Jem first discovered her love for singing and songwriting while attending Stanwell School. She explored her musical interests using the family piano. She wrote her very first song when she was just thirteen years old. Jem has three siblings: an older sister named Chloe, whose photo was on Jem's first music collection, It All Starts Here.... Her oldest sister, Georgia, sang for the Welsh indie/punk band Weapons of Mass Belief. Her brother, Justin (also known as Yestyn), is part of the band Glass Pear.

In 1993, Jem moved to Brighton to study Law at the University of Sussex. She chose this path partly because her father was a lawyer. Also, her older sister had gone to university before her. Jem thought it was the best choice at the time. However, she never planned to become a lawyer. She kept her passion for music alive throughout her studies. While she was studying and after graduating in 1996, Jem spent time promoting clubs and festivals. She also started working as a DJ in Brighton's busy club scene.

Jem's Music Career

Starting Out: It All Starts Here... and Finally Woken (1999–2006)

In early 1998, Jem helped start and run a special record label called Marine Parade. She worked with Adam Freeland on this label, which focused on breakbeat and hip hop music. After two years of helping other musicians, she felt she had ignored her own music for too long. So, in November 1999, she left Brighton and went back to Wales. There, she set up a portable recording studio. She focused on writing her own songs and producing her music. She made four demo songs, which helped her get into the music industry.

In 2000, Jem moved to London. She met Sarah Stennett, who managed the band Sugababes. They started working together. Sarah introduced Jem to other writers and producers. Just two days into her first writing session, she worked with the famous electronic producer Guy Sigsworth. Together, they created the song "Nothing Fails". The lyrics from this song were later used by Madonna for her 2003 album, American Life. In 2001, Jem traveled to Brooklyn, New York City. She teamed up with hip hop producer Ge-Ology and co-producer Yoad Nevo. They combined her many musical styles to create a fresh and unique sound.

In March 2002, Jem visited friends in Los Angeles. She stopped by the independent radio station KCRW. She left a demo of her song "Finally Woken" in Nic Harcourt's mailbox. Nic Harcourt was known for being the first American DJ to play artists like Coldplay and Dido. He immediately started playing Jem's song on his show, Morning Becomes Eclectic. The song quickly became one of the most requested songs at the station. This made Jem one of their top 5 most played artists in 2003. All of this happened before she even had a record label!

One of the important people listening was Bruce Flohr. He was a top talent scout for RCA Records and the new ATO Records. ATO Records was known for helping David Gray become popular in America. After meeting Jem and hearing more of her demos, Flohr thought, "How can I make sure this girl signs with us?" ATO Records quickly decided to offer her a recording contract. At that time, no other labels were interested in her. This was because she mostly worked in the studio, so most talent scouts didn't notice her. She then signed with ATO Records. On October 13, 2003, ATO released an EP called It All Starts Here.... This EP had five improved demo songs that Jem had recorded earlier. To get ready for her album release, Jem moved to Los Angeles. She felt there would be more chances to promote her music and explore her musical talent there.

After Moby's album Play (1999) was a hit, Jem decided to let every song on her album be used in American TV shows, movies, and commercials. This was a way to promote her music. The TV show The O.C. was the first to use Jem's music in several episodes. They even invited her to appear on the show. She sang a cover version of Paul McCartney's song "Maybe I'm Amazed" in the first season finale. Since then, every song from her album has been used in various TV shows. These include Six Feet Under, Desperate Housewives, Without a Trace, and Grey's Anatomy.

Six more songs were added to the original EP. The full album, Finally Woken, was released in the United States on March 24, 2004. It sold 6,000 copies in the first week and another 5,000 in the second week. It was unusual for unknown artists with little radio play or MTV promotion to get so much attention so quickly. To promote the album in the United Kingdom, Jem released CD singles and music videos throughout 2005. "They" was the first single released in the UK on March 13, 2005. "Just a Ride" followed in June, and "Wish I" in September. At that time, "Wish I" was used as the theme song for the popular UK reality TV show Celebrity Love Island. Jem quickly became popular in the United Kingdom. Her album stayed on the UK Album Chart for 32 weeks in March, reaching number 6.

New Sounds: Down to Earth (2007–2009)

In 2006, Jem decided to stop touring for a year. She wanted to focus on writing new songs and creating her second album. She stopped working with Yoad Nevo and met with four different producers across the United States. Over the next few years, she worked with Jeff Bass (who discovered Eminem) in Detroit. She also met with Lester Mendez (Nelly Furtado, Santana, Shakira) in Los Angeles. Producers Mike Bradford (Kid Rock, Deep Purple) and Greg Kurstin (Kylie Minogue, Beck) also worked with Jem. They helped her create an album with many different musical styles and sounds. Because her music didn't fit into one specific genre, it was hard for ATO Records to market her. While making her album, Jem wrote and sang the song "Once in Every Lifetime". This song appeared on the Eragon movie soundtrack.

Jem's second album, Down to Earth, was released in the United States, Canada, and Japan on September 18, 2008. It came out in Europe between January and March 2009. The album reached number 48 on the Billboard 200 and number 64 on the UK Albums Chart. Jem chose the album title while writing her first album. It's a pun on the phrase 'down to Earth'. It refers to her personality and how she deals with fame. It also describes a fresh way of looking at the world, like an alien landing on Earth. Her next singles from the album included "Crazy" (August 2008), "And So I Pray" (May 2009), and "I Want You To..." (October 2009). However, these songs were not as commercially successful as those from her first album.

Other Projects and Beachwood Canyon (2010–2016)

Between March and September 2011, Jem worked on an album to remember the 10th Anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. She produced and contributed to a record called Ten Years On: A Collection of Songs in Remembrance of September 11th 2001. Other artists like Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Alanis Morissette, and John Legend also contributed songs to the album. This album was released for a limited time, stopping production in September 2013.

In 2012, Jem started working on her third album, Beachwood Canyon, again. In November, she recorded songs at Grand Master Studios in Hollywood. She first thought the album would be released in early 2013. This date was then moved to the fall. In February 2014, Jem confirmed that the album was mostly finished with a track list. However, unexpected delays with getting permission to use certain music samples pushed the release into 2014. She said earlier announcements were "wishful thinking".

Jem has also mentioned that she is exploring other creative paths besides music. She really wants to get into the film industry. She has spent several years writing a movie script. She describes it as being like her album "Finally Woken in movie form". In February 2014, Jem confirmed that work on her first film was "finally happening". She said more information would come out as the year went on.

In January 2015, it was announced that the album would be released that year, but it wasn't. In January 2016, Jem shared the first photos from the Beachwood Canyon era on her Facebook page. She also announced the official release of the album for spring 2016. The first single, "Beachwood Canyon", came out on July 1. On August 5, 2016, the album was released digitally around the world. The vinyl, CD, and special edition versions were released on August 30.

Jem's Musical Style

Jem's music style is quite varied. It includes genres like trip hop, electronica, pop rock, and new wave. Music critics often compare her to other British female musicians like Dido and Beth Orton.

Jem's Personal Life

In September 2009, Jem married American musician and songwriter Joseph George in Montecito, California. They first met in 2005 while filming the music video for "Wish I". In the video, Joseph played Jem's love interest. They both live in Los Angeles now.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

• It All Starts Here... (13 October 2003, US only release)

Singles

Music videos

Various Songs and Projects

Where Jem's Songs Have Been Used

See also

In Spanish: Jem (cantante) para niños