Jem (singer)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the real-life singer who uses the stage name Jem. For other uses, see Jem (disambiguation).

Jem
Jem at Glastonbury 2005
Jem performing on the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 26 June 2005
Background information
Birth nameJemma Gwynne Griffiths
Born (1975-05-18) 18 May 1975 (age 48)
Penarth, Glamorgan
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, screenwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1998–present
LabelsATO
MapleMusic Recordings (Canada)
Sony BMG
RCA
Websitejem-music.com Edit this at Wikidata

Jemma Gwynne Griffiths (born 18 May 1975), known by her stage name Jem, is a British singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Born and raised in

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.[2][3] 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.[4] 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.

In 1993, Jem moved to Brighton to study

Jem and the Holograms.[1][5]

Career

1999–2006: It All Starts Here... and Finally Woken

In early 1998, alongside

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.[4] 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.[1]

In 2000, Jem moved to London where she met

A&R rep for RCA Records and newly established ATO Records, who offered her a recording contract.[6] She was subsequently signed to the label and Jem relocated to Los Angeles.[3]

On 13 October 2003, in preparation for the release of her full-length album, Jem released the

first season finale.[5] 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.[8]

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,

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.

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.[10] In 2012, Jem returned to producing her third album. In November, she recorded tracks at the Grand Master Studios, in Hollywood,[11] and originally anticipated a release in early 2013.[12] Outside of music, she also announced that she had spent several years writing a screenplay.[13]

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.[14] 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 British musicians Dido and Beth Orton.[5]

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.[15] They both currently reside in Los Angeles.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[16] 		AUS
[17] 		IRE
[18] 		US
[19]
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 (US)
  • 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

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[16]
 AUS
[17] 		AUT
[20] 		CAN
[21]
GER
 IRE
[18] 		ITA
[22] 		NLD
[23] 		SWE
[24]
US AAA[25]
2004 "They" 6 28 15 — 45 8 47 29 47 18 Finally Woken
2005 "Just a Ride" 16 — — — — 27 — 89 — —
"Wish I" 24 — — — — 27 — — — —
"24" — — — — — — — — — —
2008 "It's Amazing" — — — — 77 — — — — — Down to Earth
"Crazy" — — — 97 — — — — — —
2009 "And So I Pray" — — — — — — — — — —
"I Want You To..." — — — — — — — — — —
2016 "Beachwood Canyon" — — — — — — — — — — Beachwood Canyon

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

Song Production Title Year Production Type
"Just a Ride" Music from the OC: Mix 1 2004 soundtrack
"Maybe I'm Amazed" Music from the OC: Mix 2 2004 soundtrack
"California Sun" "Just a Ride" 2005 single
"Amazing Life" Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends 2005 soundtrack
"Easy Way Out" Carmen Rizzo: The Lost Art of the Idle Moment 2005 album
"The Thieves" Weapons 2006 album
"Once in Every Lifetime" Eragon: Music from the Motion Picture 2006 soundtrack
"Everytime" Vusi Mahlasela: Guiding Star 2007 album
"Ecouter" Carmen Rizzo: Ornament of an Imposter 2008 album
"It's Amazing"
Sex and the City: The Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
 		2008 soundtrack
"Yellow" Sweetheart: Our Favorite Artists Sing Their Favorite Love Songs 2009 compilation
"Until the Morning Comes" Glass Pear: Until the Morning Comes 2009 single

Song usage

Song Production Year Type
"Come on Closer" "
Life As We Know It"
Desperate Housewives
 2004
2006
2004
2004
trailer

unofficial soundtrack
Clip
Official Season 1 Promo
"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" "
Shark" S2E03
"Six Feet Under
" S4E06 		2004
2005
2005
2005
2004
2007
2004 		official soundtrack
official soundtrack
official soundtrack
unofficial soundtrack

"They" "
The X Effect"
"Strictly Come Dancing
" 		2004
2004
2005
2007 		unofficial soundtrack
unofficial soundtrack
unofficial soundtrack
title theme
"Tango/Argentine Tango Track(Series5/8)
"Save Me" "Grey's Anatomy" S. 1, Ep. 6 2005 unofficial soundtrack
"Flying High" "Wonderfalls" S.1, Ep. 11
"Grey's Anatomy" S. 2, Ep. 20
"One Tree Hill" S. 2, Ep. 15
"Laguna Beach
"Sex Drive (film)" 		2004
2005 		unofficial soundtrack
"Amazing Life" "Six Feet Under"
Lexus ES 350 		2005
2006 		official soundtrack
advert
"
24
" 		"
Without A Trace
" 		2006
2005
2008
2005
trailer

unofficial soundtrack
unofficial soundtrack
trailer
"Once in Every Lifetime" "
Eragon
" 		2006 official soundtrack
"California Sun" "Grey's Anatomy" S. 3, Ep. 22 2007 unofficial soundtrack
"It's Amazing" "
Sex and the City: The Movie"
"Medium
" S. 5, Ep. 89, 90 		2008
2009
 official soundtrack
unofficial soundtrack
"Crazy" "
Gossip Girl
" 		2008 unofficial soundtrack
"I Always Knew" "90210" 2008 unofficial soundtrack
"Keep on Walking" "Damages" S. 2, Ep. 13
"Orange Is the New Black" S. 1, Ep. 12 		2009
2013
 unofficial soundtrack
"Forever and a day" "Beastly" 2011 unofficial soundtrack

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Jemma Griffiths Biography". Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  2. ^ "Award". BPI. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "answers.com". Answers.com. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  4. ^ a b Griffiths, Jemma. "Jem, Part 1". Chatshow Network (Interview). Interviewed by Andrea Binks. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e Stuart, Courteney (22 April 2004). "Dig it! This Jem wants to shine". The Hook (316). Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b c "Interview with Sarah Stennett". HitQuarters. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  7. ^ "OfficialCharts". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  8. ^ a b Moss, Corey (15 November 2005). "Moby-Style Promotion Works For Inescapable Jem". MTV. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Official UK Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Ten Years On". Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  13. ^ "Jem | The Official Website of Jem". Jem-music.net. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Jem". facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Joseph George's Bio". Josephgeorgemusic.comaccessdate=2014-08-09. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  16. ^
    ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
  17. ^ a b "australian-charts.com – Discography Jem". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  18. ^ a b "irish-charts.com – Discography Jem". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Jem – Chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  20. ^ "austriancharts.at – Discographie Jem". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Jem – Chart history (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  22. ^ "italiancharts.com – Jem – They". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  23. ^ "dutchcharts.nl – Discografie Jem". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  24. ^ "swedishcharts.com – Discography Jem". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  25. ^ "Jem Chart History: Triple A". Billboard. Retrieved 9 March 2018.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jem_(singer)&oldid=1193559614"