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Jem Griffiths' roundabout road to songstress stardom started in Cardiff, Wales, where she was born and raised. From there she attended Sussex University, and by the mid-1990s she was working in promotion for the Skint and Marine Parade electronic imprints, and hanging out with types like the Lo Fidelity Allstars and breakbeat techno producer Adam Freeland. Dropping her last name and moving back home, Jem began building tracks on her own, as well as singing. She moved to London, demo in hand. There she collaborated with producer Guy Sigsworth (picking up a writing credit for the Madonna track "Nothing Fails" in the process) before landing in America and hooking up with hip-hop producer Ge-Ology and programming whiz Yoad Nevo (Bond, Sophie Ellis-Bextor). Together, they tweaked Jem's sound into an amalgam of soft electronica and soothing, Dido-like vocals. The sound was as pleasing as an overstuffed pillow, and primed for a breakthrough. That finally happened in early 2002, when Nic Harcourt, of LA's tastemaking KCRW, began spinning the breezy Jem track "Finally Woken." The exposure led to a deal with ATO, who issued the It All Starts Here EP in autumn of the following year in preparation for the Finally Woken LP, slated for March '04. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide |
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