These exercises are based on this artice: It´s not just the music that interests ambitious Ms Dynamite, it´s the message that she can give. The young, talented, R&B singer has become a new role model for young black people in Britain. Since she arrived on the music scene a few years ago, Ms Dynamite, whose real name is Niomi McLean-Daley, has won nine top music industry awards, and has become the youngest person ever to win the important Mercury Music prize. Ms Dynamite comes from a large family in North London. Her childhood and her teenage years were difficult. She was only two when her father left his family, and when she was 14, her mother became seriously ill. As a teenager Niomi was suddenly looking after her brothers and sisters. For many years she was depressed and she struggled at school. ´I was angry about life,´ she says. But in spite of all her problems, she left school with nine GCSEs and three A levels. ´Well, if the music fails, I´ll have something to go back to´ she says. She originally wanted to be a teacher or a social worker and her mother was disappointed when she decided not to go to university and chose a musical career instead. Now she is successful, she says, ´I want my mum to be proud of me, so I´m quite pleased that I´ve won some music awards to make her happy.´ Ms Dynamite writes her own song lyrics. Before she came on the scene, British R&B music wasn´t about anything serious, but Ms Dynamite´s lyrics are different. They are intelligent and well-expressed, and they usually carry strong messages. She writes about issues such as racism and other types of oppression and she isn´t frightened of having political opinions. ´I sing about problems. I get angry about things. I may sing about war situation. It´s important to make people think.´ Ms Dynamite´s role models are the great American singers Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker and Mary J Blige, not only because of their voices, but because of their attitude. Because of her idealism and her courage to speak out against oppression, Ms Dynamite herself is now a strong role model for young black people in the UK.

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