Gemma has been playing drums and percussion for over two decades and graduated from the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) with a first-class honours degree in contemporary popular music.

Since then she has become a high-profile session drummer, playing on TV for the X Factor show, and counts an appearance at Wembley on her CV, having played with Cee-Lo Green. As well as regular session work, she's toured Japan and Europe, teaches drum kit and orchestral percussion.

Speaking about her new job, Gemma says she's ecstatic to have been appointed as editor for Drummer magazine:

"The drum industry is such a special place to be a part of, and I am extremely grateful for all the support I am being offered. I wish Nick Carter all the best with his future endeavours. I'm really looking forward to joining the team at Blaze Publishing and getting hands on with the London Drum Show."

Nick Carter, whose tenure at the helm saw him produce 28 issues, states:

"I've decided to make some changes and have stepped down as editor of Drummer Magazine. I've had a fantastic couple of years at the helm, but with the kids growing up so quickly and lots of new, exciting ventures in the pipeline I feel it's time for me to move on. (...) I've thoroughly enjoyed my time at Drummer magazine – both as editor and beforehand as a regular contributor and editorial assistant. I've been very fortunate to work with a great team of contributors, all of whom I consider to be the best in their chosen field, and I'm extremely proud of what we’ve achieved."

Wes Stanton, Blaze Publishing's managing director, comments as follows on musicindustrynews.com:

"Nick stepped into the breach at a tough time for Drummer, when the former owners ran into difficulties and the magazine's future was in jeopardy. He has been brilliant to work with, and is a thoroughly nice guy, so I'll miss him – though I expect we haven't seen the last of him just yet. That said, I'm really looking forward to working with Gemma, and having discussed her vision at length, am confident she'll bring a different dynamic to Drummer - which I'm really excited about."

Gemma and Nick will co-edit the July 2014 issue (No. 130) of Drummer Magazine – available in shops on 17 June – before Gemma takes over as editor for the August 2014 edition (No. 131) available on 15 July.