Jem was born in Penarth, Wales, a small town near Cardiff. Her siblings are Chloe, Justin and Georgia; Justin and Georgia are vocals of the band The Weapons.

Although she began singing and writing songs at age thirteen in Swansea, Wales, she decided to head into law and attended Sussex University. However, she spent less time and energy on studies and focused on being a DJ agent, although Read more...

Jem's solo career began in earnest in 2002, when a demo version of the song "Finally Woken" was played on Los Angeles 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, Bruce Flohr was so impressed with her demos that he offered Jem a record deal onto Dave Read more...

Jem's influences span many genres of music. She describes her inspirations as a "strange mix of soul, hip hop, reggae, dance music, film soundtracks, classical music and cheesy love songs", from Stevie Wonder to the soundtrack of the Braveheart movie.[citation needed]