Rising R&B star Ms Dynamite has won the Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, A Little Deeper.

The 21-year-old beat favourites The Streets and The Coral as well as music legend David Bowie but confessed she "had not got a clue" why she had won.

The singer from north London has seen an incredible rise to fame in a matter of months and has another chance for glory at the Mobo awards in October, where she will be competing in six categories.

The music industry gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London to see the �20,000 prize given out on Tuesday night.

2002 shortlist

Beverley Knight The Bees The Coral David Bowie Doves The Electric Soft Parade Gemma Hayes Guy Barker Joanna MacGregor Ms Dynamite Roots Manuva The Streets

A speechless Ms Dynamite became the first solo black female artist to take the prestigious prize.

Later, at a press conference, she regained her composure enough to say she would be giving the money to charity - though she was yet to decide which one.

She said: "I feel really happy and excited that my music has been acclaimed and accepted."

The star, whose real name is Naomi McLean-Daley, has been acclaimed for her original lyrics and melodic voice.

She has already scored chart hits with singles Dy-na-mi-tee and It Takes More.

Picking up her prize from saxophonist and prize judge Courtney Pine, the R 'n B performer struggled to speak.

She eventually blurted out: "I really don't know what to say. I've never been speechless. Oh my goodness."

Past Mercury winners

1992 Primal Scream 1993 Suede 1994 M People 1995 Portishead 1996 Pulp 1997 Roni Size & Reprazent 1998 Gomez 1999 Talvin Singh 2000 Badly Drawn Boy 2001 PJ Harvey

"I wish I had known - I would've prepared a better speech."

Last year's ceremony was on the evening of 11 September with many feeling it should have been cancelled even at such short notice.

PJ Harvey won the prize, but was unable to accept it in person as the attacks left her stranded in Washington DC.

The competition has a reputation of not giving the prize to the hot favourite, but never honouring the rank outsiders.

As he handed out the award judge Courtney Pine joked he had in the past thought the prize was "fixed".

It has also been criticised for tokenism, with jazz, classical, world music and older folk entrants rarely getting a sniff of victory.

This year Guy Barker and Joanna MacGregor were seen as the "token" entries from the worlds of jazz and classical music and pundits had rated their chances as negligible.