Ms. Dynamite


Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley , better known as Ms. Dynamite, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. She is the recipient of the Mercury Music Prize, two Brit Awards and three MOBO Awards.

Early years

She was born Niomi Arleen Daley and raised in Kentish Town, North London to a Jamaican father and a Scottish mother. She is the older sister of the rapper Akala.

Career

2001–2004: ''A Little Deeper''

Ms. 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, Ms. Dynamite was discovered by Richard Forbes 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, for A Little Deeper. She donated the £20,000 prize to the NSPCC.
On March 8, 2003, Ms. Dynamite was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Queen Latifah.
Also in 2003, Ms. Dynamite signed a deal to promote Pepsi, reported to be worth £1m
She performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games at the City of Manchester Stadium. On 2 July 2005, she performed at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London. Among the songs performed was "Redemption Song" – a Bob Marley-penned song.

2005–2006: ''Judgement Days''

On 11 September 2005, she returned to the limelight with a new album titled Judgement Days. Featuring more social commentary, in songs such as the first double A-side single, "Judgement Day"/"Father" and the Tony Blair critique, "Mr Prime Minister," reviews of the album were not as favourable as those of her debut. However, "Judgement Day" reached No. 25 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 2006, she was convicted of assaulting a police officer and was sentenced to 60 hours community service.

2007–present: Hiatus and career wind-down

After taking a break from the music scene, Dynamite guest-hosted BBC Radio 1Xtra, and stated she would be releasing a third album, Democracy, in 2009, with the first single from the new album being "Bad Gyal". However, this was later pushed back as she concentrated on other projects and motherhood. Meanwhile, she appeared on Hell's Kitchen on ITV1 in 2009, finishing fourth, and later as an expert adviser on Goldie's Band: By Royal Appointment on BBC Two.
Since then she has appeared on several collaborations, notably Katy B's second single, "Lights On", which peaked at number 4 in the UK singles chart in 2010, and the Magnetic Man track "Fire", which appeared on their debut album.
A single, "Neva Soft", was released in 2011, although the promised album did not appear. Since then she has been the featured vocalist on the DJ Fresh Versus Jay Fray track "Dibby Dibby Sound" and a David Guetta and Showtek song for the former's 2014 album Listen "No Money No Love" along with Elliphant.

Discography

;Studio albums
;Mixtapes
Ms. Dynamite was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to music.
YearOrganisationAwardNominated WorkResult
2002MTV Europe Music AwardsBest UK & Ireland Act"Ms. Dynamite"
2002Mercury PrizeAlbum of the year"A Little Deeper"
2002MOBO AwardsBest single"It Takes More"
2002MOBO AwardsUK Act of the YearMs. Dynamite
2002MOBO AwardsBest NewcomerMs. Dynamite
2003100 Great Black Britons100 Great Black Britons Ms. Dynamite
2003Brit AwardsBritish Urban ActMs. Dynamite
2003Brit AwardsBritish Female Solo ArtistMs. Dynamite
2003Brit AwardsBritish Breakthrough ActMs. Dynamite
2003Brit AwardsBritish Album of the Year"A Little Deeper"
2003MOBO AwardsBest Single"Dy-Na-Mi-Tee"
2003MOBO AwardsBest NewcomerMs. Dynamite
2003MOBO AwardsUK Act of the yearMs. Dynamite
2003Race in Media AwardsMedia PersonalityMs. Dynamite
2006Brit AwardsBritish Urban ActMs. Dynamite