Ny - Finally Some Female Grime!

With aspirations of musical performance planted from the age of 11, whilst skipping science class to enjoy a more in-depth approach to sound analysis on her CD player, Ny began to devise her entry into music with the unique approach of working for an under 18's rave company that allowed her to get on stage and quench her thirst for performance. Proving to be an ideal musical breeding ground, Ny decided step up her game and began to record songs for her first mixtape in 2005. Split Endz Vol. 1 involved a lot of experimentation, both with the writing and production. "It's more of a conventional mixtape with skits and snippets running through it but still is a representation of Ny as a teenager," explains Ny. The self-financed project was an underground smash and DJs soon began to rinse her tunes on London pirate stations. Ny was working with the best in British Urban Music on her first project with collaborations with Plan B, JME, Wiley and Mercury nominee Sway. Her alliance in song with MCs is instrumental; "I loved working with all of those guys and I think it's important, like baking a cake, that the ingredients/artists that go into it are essential."

Being the First Lady of rhythm and grime is a gift and a curse of sorts for Ny. Currently being championed as such by industry pundits BBC 1xtra and RWD gives a slanted view of her musical output. "The industry always looks for a name to brand something with, it's nice to be seen as the lady of R&G, as I have come through the UK grime scene and worked with a lot of the artists from that genre. If you listen to my CD however, you can hear a range of influences... from Beres Hammond, to Peter Tosh, to Blondie, to Simon and Garfunkel - to me it's simply music."

Never one to be boxed in, Ny signed up with True Tiger Recordings, home to the production outfit Scandalous Ultd, Misty Dubs and MC Purple, where she started work on her latest release, Split Endz Vol 2. With varied sounds, the level of vocal performance raised and traditional elements of soul apparent in her second mixtape, Ny may be making a move for the mainstream. "I grew up listening to all kinds [of music], my mum loves her roots reggae and old soul, and my dad loves artists like the Beatles, The Police. I have always loved Mariah Carey! I just love good music, I don't care who it's by and what kind as long as it's quality, and I try to convey my musical background in my sound." Whether or not her music will be well received in the mainstream market has yet to be seen, however, if her video Fire - which was recently added to MTV BASE and Channel U, along with Willow being added to A playlists on BBC 1xtra, Kiss Fm and host of pirate stations - is an early indication for things to come, it is safe to say the vocal tigress is about to break out of her cage.