The 80s gave us a number of cartoon series that have become embedded into the pop culture zeitgeist. You’ve got the “G.I. Joe” animated series, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles“ of course, and “Transformers“ amongst others. None of them had the glitz and vocal prowess of “Jem and the Holograms.” Across three seasons and 65 episodes, Jem aka Jerrica Benton, used the power of Synergy to craft a pop star alter ego, protect the secret of Synergy itself, and feed a bunch of orphans!
It’s 40 years later, but Gem and the Holograms are ready to rock out again!
Hasbro will be releasing a 40th anniversary album with Britta Phillips reprising her role as Jem to bring re-recorded versions of classic tracks from the series. This July, listeners can rock out to “Only The Beginning,” “Truly Outrageous,” “Like A Dream,” “I Got My Eye On You,” “She’s Got The Power,” and the show’s theme song.
While the show and the music never truly faded into obscurity, it didn’t have the wide appeal “Ninja Turtles” and “Transformers” had. Jem did get a live-action film in 2105, but it flopped hard with its attempted re-imagining. At least the original cartoon lives on and so does its music.
“I took a couple of voice lessons before the recording sessions which helped with my confidence in belting those crazy high notes, but luckily the sound of my voice and my vocal range hasn’t changed much,” Phillips said. “It’s still pretty girlish. To my surprise, the high notes weren’t difficult. We even kept the songs in the original key except for one track where we dropped down a half step – and that one didn’t have the highest notes.”
Phillips also added her delight in having a blast working with the all female team of producers behind this album, set to release in July. “Jem and the Holograms” still resonates today in some of its themes and focus on music.
