Однажды в 1999 валлийка Jem Griffith решила оставить свое живописное захолустье, чтобы прийти, увидеть и победить в Лондоне, занимаясь музыкой. Записав 4 демо, она познакомилась с продюсером Guy Sigsworth (Bjork, Frou Frou). Сотрудничество привело к тому, что сама Madonna заинтересовалась музыкантами и вместе с ними сделала шестой трек своего альбома American Life.
В 2002 году демо-версия композиции "Finally Woken" попала на американскую радиостанцию, после чего Jem записала дебютный одноименный альбом. Музыка Jem — это легкая электроника, альтернативный поп и мягкий вокал в стиле Dido, запоминающиеся мелодии и насыщенные инструментальные партии а ля Evanescence. Альбом попал на 11 место в Billboard. Сингл They в Америке занял 30 место хит-парада. А в Британии "Just A Ride" дебютировал на этой неделе на 16 месте официального чарта (альбом в чарте 4 недели, 22 место). В России сингл They держится на 22 месте чарта радиостанции «Европа-Плюс».
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Jem is the stage name of the singer-songwriter Jemma Griffiths (born 18 May 1975, in Penarth, Wales, United Kingdom). Her eclectic musical style encompasses elements of trip-hop, folk and rock. She is best known for the single "They" and the successful album Finally Woken.
Jem began singing and writing songs during her time at Stanwell school at age thirteen. She attended Sussex University and she did eventually receive a degree in law. She also focused on being a DJ agent in Brighton where she spent a lot of time promoting club nights, and helped set up and run the label Marine Parade.
In November 1999, Jem assembled a mobile recording studio where she further developed her songwriting and music production skills. During this period, she completed four demos. Her solo career began in earnest in 2002, when a demo version of the song "Finally Woken" was played on the LA radio 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, she signed to Dave Matthews' ATO Records label.
Along with electronic producer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Frou Frou), Jem wrote the song "Nothing Fails", which was later reworked by Madonna and appeared on her 2003 album American Life. In October 2003, Jem issued the moderately successful EP It All Starts Here, followed in 2004 by the single "They".
In 24 May 2004, Jem released her debut album Finally Woken on ATO Records. The album was produced by Ge-Ology, Yoad Nevo and Jem. Finally Woken was later released in Europe in 6 March 2005 and it was promoted by four singles: "They" (#6 UK), "Just a Ride" (#16 UK), "Wish I" (#24 UK) and "24" (promotional-only).
In 16 September 2008, she released the sophomore album Down to Earth. The album was preceded by the single "It's Amazing". Jem collaborated with Jeff Bass, Lester Mendez, Greg Kurstin and Vusi Mahlasela.
Jem's music featured on various movies (Closer, Eragon, Sex and the City, Monster-in-Law, The Prince and Me), trailers (Ultraviolet, Closer), ads (Lexus), and TV series (The OC, Six Feet Under, Gossip Girl, Smallville, 90210, Grey's Anatomy).
Official site: http://www.jem-music.net Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.