Ms. Dynamite
Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley MBE (born 26 April 1981), better known as Ms. Dynamite, is a British singer and rapper. She is the recipient of the Mercury Music Prize, two Brit Awards and three MOBO Awards.
This article is about Ms. Dynamite. For Little Miss Dynamite, see Brenda Lee. For the TV series, see Miss Dynamite (TV series).
Ms. Dynamite
Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley
26 April 1981
Crawley, West Sussex, England
Kentish Town, London, England
- R&B
- hip hop
- ragga
- 2-step garage (early)
- Singer
- rapper
- songwriter
2000–present
Early years[edit]
She was born Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley in Crawley, West Sussex, and raised in Kentish Town, North London, to a Jamaican father and a Scottish mother. She is the older sister of the rapper Akala.[1][2]
Career[edit]
2001–2004: A Little Deeper[edit]
Ms. Dynamite (originally Lady Dynamite) was first known for her vocals on the UK garage underground track "Booo!", which was regularly played on London pirate radio stations and was later released as a single. While working at the radio station RAW FM,[3] Ms. Dynamite was discovered by Richard Forbes ("DJ Sticky") at a West End club. Interest grew from all major British labels and eventually she was signed via her management Bigga Beats to Polydor Records, where she met producer Salaam Remi, who cultivated her talent.
She released her debut album, A Little Deeper, in 2002, which featured hit songs "It Takes More" and "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee". In 2003, the album was released in the United States to critical acclaim. In 2002, Dynamite won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize,[4] for A Little Deeper. She donated the £20,000 prize to the NSPCC.
On 8 March 2003, Ms. Dynamite was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Queen Latifah.[5]
Also in 2003, Ms. Dynamite signed a deal to promote Pepsi, reported to be worth £1m [6]
She performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games at the City of Manchester Stadium.[7] On 2 July 2005, she performed at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London. Among the songs performed was "Redemption Song" written by Bob Marley, which she performed alongside her brother, Akala.[8]