Ms. Dynamite

Niomi McLean-Daley, a.k.a. Ms. Dynamite, was born in 1981 in London, England, to a white Irish mother and a black British father. The eldest of eleven children, McLean-Daley was raised in north London by her mother, a school teacher, following her parents' divorce. She grew up listening to reggae, soul, and hip-hop music, and by age 18 had taken to jumping up onstage at raves and rapping over hip-hop beats. Performing and making music so absorbed the budding singer that she passed on an opportunity to attend Sussex University as a social anthropology major in order to pursue a music career. In 2001, as Ms. Dynamite, McLean-Daley released her first single called "Booo!," on London Records. The song catapulted Miss McLean-Daley into the spotlight, and shortly thereafter she performed as the opening act for such artists as Eminem and Destiny's Child (Beyonce Knowle's group). By 2002 she had begun work on her debut album, a disc called "A Little Deeper." Released on March 11, 2003 to massive critical acclaim, "A Little Deeper" let the music world know that Ms. Dynamite is and will continue to be a major player in the industry for many years to come.