Jem - They

What this video is

Released as the lead single from Jem's debut album Finally Woken (ATO Records, 2004), 'They' arrived during a period when British female singer-songwriters — influenced by Portishead, Massive Attack, and Dido — were crossing into the American mainstream via indie radio tastemakers like KCRW and sync licensing on prestige TV dramas such as The O.C. The song's philosophical lyrics about societal conformity and the…

Why it matters

A landmark single in the early-2000s UK-to-US indie pop pipeline, 'They' exemplifies the trip-hop-pop hybrid genre that bridged Bristolian downtempo aesthetics with commercial radio accessibility. Its success on the UK Singles Chart (No. 6) and international charts (No. 1 in Hungary) demonstrated…

The director

Honey is a music video director active in the 2000s–2010s, credited on IMVDb with 17 directorial works. Known works include videos for Kacey Musgraves ('Follow Your Arrow' and 'Blowin Smoke,' both 2013) and Jayme Dee ('Tip Toes,' 2012). Associated with…