Jem (1975– )

Welsh singer and songwriter. She became popular in the early 2000s for her soft, electronic sound. She rose to stardom after her single ‘Finally Woken’ (2002), aired on the radio in Los Angeles in its demo form. She followed with the EP It All Starts Here in 2003, the LP Finally Woken in 2004, and the hit single ‘They’ in 2005.

Jem was born in Cardiff and grew up in Penarth, a nearby coastal town. After attending Sussex University she worked in music promotions for labels such as Skint (whose artists included Fatboy Slim), became a DJ agent, and helped develop the electronic label Marine Parade. She moved back to Cardiff in 1999, where she began to write and sing her own music, and then to London, where she met electronic music producer Guy Sigsworth, who had worked with artists such as Bjork. They collaborated on the song ‘Nothing Fails’, which featured on Madonna's American Life album. Jem moved to Brooklyn, New York, and collaborated with hip-hop producer Ge-ology to polish her sound. After her radio exposure with ‘Finally Woken’, she signed on to Dave Matthews's ATO label the following year.

She appeared on the TV drama series The OC in 2004, performing Paul McCartney's ‘Maybe I'm Amazed’.