September 2002 the 21-year-old UK garage
star Ms Dynamite became the first solo black
female artist to win the prestigious £20,000
Mercury Music Award with her debut album A
Little Deeper, which beat an impressive
shortlist of artists including David Bowie.
Within months she had also notched up a
record-breaking six nominations for the MOBO
awards, and went on to take home three
trophies. A new star was launched in the
music firmament.
London, England
Horoscope : Taurus
Born Niomi McLean-Daley to Scottish mother and a
Jamaican father who split up when she was two, Ms
Dynamite comes from an extended family of 11
brothers and sisters. Throughout her childhood in north
London she helped her mother bring up her brothers
and sisters, and at 13, when her mother developed
cancer, Niomi had to grow up even faster. "When I was
supposed to be a child, I had the responsibilities of an
adult" she later commented.
With her mother's illness in remission, Ms Dynamite left
the family home and moved into a series of hostels.
During what she describes as a "difficult" period she
continued to study hard at school and was rewarded
with A levels in English Literature and Media Studies.
Although offered a place at Sussex University to read
social anthropology, however, she decided to turn it
down to concentrate on her fledgling music career.
Noimi became involved in music almost by accident
after a friend offered her a presenter's slot on a pirate
radio station. The show was a success and led to a
stint on Freak FM. From there she broke into
performing, appearing with garage band So Solid Crew
on their hit They Don't Know . Signed for a one-off single
deal to London Records in 2001, her first single Booo!
went into the charts at number 12 and became one of
that summer's most popular records. An album
contract with Polydor followed.