Jem

Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, Jem Griffiths charted an indirect path toward a career blending electronica with pop and rock elements, later releasing tracks such as "They." While pursuing studies at Sussex University, she maintained an active focus on music alongside her academic responsibilities. Still a student, she scouted talent for area DJs, supported local club promotions, and contributed to establishing the Marine Parade electronica label, where she connected with Lo Fidelity Allstars and breakbeat techno artist Adam Freeland. After abandoning her surname and returning to her hometown, she independently constructed beats and refined her vocal delivery.

Seeking further opportunities, she carried demos to London and partnered with producer Guy Sigsworth, earning a co-writing credit on Madonna’s “Nothing Fails.” Subsequent travels brought her to the United States, where she joined forces with hip-hop producer Ge-Ology and programmer Yoad Nevo, whose prior credits include work with Bond and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Their refinements shaped her material into a fusion of understated electronica and gentle vocals reminiscent of Dido. Early 2002 brought wider attention when KCRW’s Nic Harcourt, host of Morning Becomes Eclectic, began airing the track “Finally Woken.” That airplay secured a contract with ATO Records, which released the EP It All Starts Here in fall 2003.

The full-length album Finally Woken arrived in March 2004; its single “They,” built around a Swingle Singers sample of a Johann Sebastian Bach piece, reached number six on the UK chart. Her songs soon appeared in various films and television programs. In 2008 she issued her second album, Down to Earth, which contained the single “Amazing,” later included on the Sex and the City soundtrack. New recording sessions began by 2009, yet contractual complications involving ATO and Sony stalled progress. She turned instead to auxiliary endeavors, among them the digital release “Until the Morning Comes” with her brother Yestyn Griffiths of Glass Pear. Solo work resumed in 2012 at Grand Master Studios in Hollywood, culminating in the 2016 album Beachwood Canyon and its title-track single.