'So this is what it looks like?' I wonder as I find myself sitting in a rather nice, gold disc adorned office in Fulham belonging to a certain pop svengali, as our interviewee comes in clutching a coffee.

This Welsh star has already grabbed the attention of the Americans with her folky vocals and clever hip-hop driven pop melodies, selling over 200,000 copies of her debut album 'Finally Woken' stateside. There's a lot hype surrounding Jem and the attention on her this year will be huge. I begin by asking if the year ahead made her excited or was she beginning to feel the nerves at all?

"I'm definitely excited," she says without any hesitation.

Jem's abundance of natural energy shows in all her interviews and this is no exception. I suspect that the caffeine presence in her drink will add to her existing excitement.

It would be impossible not to have noticed the sudden upsurge in her profile of late. Strange this may seem considering that her debut album was released in America a year ago. Now it's the turn of the UK to take note and shift some units. The first single, 'They' is a week away from being released and there's lots of promoting to be done which all adds up to a lot of travelling back and forth for Jem from her home in L.A. I couldn't help but wonder, did she save her air miles like a good frequent traveller should?

"Do you know what? I was thinking about that yesterday!" She answers with an element of surprise. "I was having air miles but I've just signed to an independent in America since January so I don't know whose booking my flights now. That's a really good point, I have to write it down. Do you have a biro?" A gold pen is produced, it's not a biro as such but it does the job as Jem writes herself a note on the back of her hand. >>