DJ Switch (Ghanaian DJ)

DJ Switch (Ghanaian DJ)
Born (2007-12-12) 12 December 2007 (age 17)
Dadieso, Western Region, Ghana
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • singer
  • motivational speaker
  • disc jockey
  • poet
  • actress
Years active2017–present

Erica Armah Bra-Bulu Tandoh (born December 12, 2007) known by the stage name DJ Switch, is a young Ghanaian disc jockey.[1][2] She is a multi talented entertainer who can also sing, rap, dance and host TV shows. She currently host Talented Kidz program on TV3. She does poetry, is an actress and delivers motivational speeches.[3] She is the second child and the only girl among five siblings. She hails from Dadieso in the Western North Region of Ghana and attends Talented Royals International School at Weija in Accra. Her career took off when she was seven years of age.[4] She claims she is adept at switching people's moods from sad to happy, hence the name DJ Switch.[5][6]

In June 2018, Erica became the youngest person to win Ghana's annual DJ award.[7] In 2019 Roc Nation, Jay-Z's entertainment company, acknowledged her skills and featured her on their social media for Black History Month and in 2020 she was listed among Top 100 child prodigies[8] from all around the world and grabbed Global child Prodigy Awards in the DJ category. In 2021, she co-hosted the 12th season of Talented Kidz.[9] Her dream is to be a gynecologist, so she can enhance the process of childbirth for women in her community.[5] She is managed by the American talent agency Buchwald.[10]

International performances

In September 2018, she opened the Bill and Melinda Gates' Foundation's annual Goalkeepers event[11] in New York City, as the warm up act to French President Emmanuel Macron.[12][13] In May 2019, she was in New York to perform at the NGO ''Room to Read''s gala with Wyclef Jean also on the bill.[14] In June 2019, she performed at the World Bank Africa Society Symposium at the World Bank office in Washington.[15] She performed at the 32nd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in February 2019.[16] In June 2019, she made an appearance at the Women Deliver Conference 2019 in Vancouver.[17]

Ambassadorial deals

On July 29, 2019, she became the brand ambassador for BrainWise, a product of the pharmaceutical firm Zutron.[18]

Songs

In November 2019, she released a song by the title "Success".[19]

Awards and acknowledgement

  • Winner of Talented Kids in 2017.[20]
  • Winner of Best Discovery DJ of the year 2018 Ghana DJ Awards.[7]
  • Winner, DJ of the Year at the 2019 Ghana DJ Awards.[21][22]
  • Winner, Best Female DJ of the year 2019 Ghana DJ Awards.[21]
  • Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020.[23]
  • 49 on InStyle Magazine's list of 50 most influential women who are change makers with global impact (2020).[24]
  • Part of a list of 74 Exemplary Ghanaians acknowledged in "Those Who Inspire Ghana" book(2020).[24]
  • Young DJ Of The Year 2020.[25]
  • Best Young Entertainer of the Year in the 2021 edition of the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA).[26]

Philanthropy

After DJ Switch won the TV3 Talent Kidz 2017, she was interviewed by many media houses and she kept repeating she would like to use some of the monies she gets from playing at events and her DJ Switch Foundation to support the less privileged in society. In October 2019, she made a donation of 50 desks, 4 sets of tables and chairs to the students and teachers of A.M.E Zion Junior High School at Brafoyaw in Cape Coast, Ghana. The donations were received by the DCE Hon. Aba Hagan of Abora Asebu Kwanman Kese on behalf of the school.[27]

See also

Official website.

References

  1. ^ "8-Year- Old DJ Switch Wins Talented Kids". peacefmonline.com. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "DJ Switch shares cute photo to celebrate her birthday". ghanaweb.com. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "DJ Switch (Erica Armah-Bra Bulu Tandoh)". World Bank Live. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  4. ^ "Erica Tandoh 'DJ Switch': 9-Year-Old Ghanaian DJ". BuzzGhana – Famous People, Celebrity Bios, Updates and Trendy News. May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Connley, Courtney (June 15, 2019). "Meet the 11-year-old DJ who's caught the attention of Jay-Z and Bill and Melinda Gates". CNBC. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. ^ "DJ Switch (Erica Armah-Bra Bulu Tandoh)". World Bank Live. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  7. ^ a b "Full list of winners at 2018 Ghana DJ Awards". ghanaweb.com. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "DJ Switch Makes It On List Of 100 Global Child Prodigies". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  9. ^ Somuah-Annan, Grace (2021-04-23). "Talented Kidz was the best thing that happened to my career – DJ Switch". 3news. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  10. ^ "American talent agency signs Ghana's DJ Switch". MyJoyOnline.com. 2020-03-04. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  11. ^ "Goalkeepers 2018". gatesfoundation.org. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  12. ^ Mahtani, Melissa. "Meet the 10-year-old DJ from Ghana who just wowed world leaders". Video by Samantha Guff and Janelle Davis. CNN. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  13. ^ Bullock, James; Rao, Akshata; Roberts, Simon (June 30, 2018). "Meet DJ Switch, the 10-year-old drawing crowds in Ghana – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  14. ^ Issahaku, Zeinat Erebong (May 24, 2019). "Pics: DJ Switch gets a billboard on Times Square New York". AmeyawDebrah.com. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  15. ^ "Photos: DJ Switch rocks queen mother outfit to perform at World Bank symposium". myjoyonline.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Meet DJ Switch, the young Ghanaian who thrilled African leaders at the AU summit in Ethiopia". pulse.com.gh. February 11, 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  17. ^ Amakye, Kojo (2019-06-05). "DJ Switch Awes Audience at Women Deliver Conference 2019 in Vancouver | Watch Video". Thedistin. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  18. ^ "DJ Switch grabs 'BrainWise' ambassadorial deal". MyJoyOnline.com. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2020-08-01.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "DJ Switch – Success (Prod. By 925 Music x Jay Scratch)". Beatz Nation. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  20. ^ "Winner of talented kids season 8 DJ Switch to rock 2017 Ghana meets Naija on Saturday". www.ghanaweb.com. 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  21. ^ a b "DJ Switch beats DJ Black, Mic-Smith and Vyrusky to win DJ of the Year". Graphic Online. 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  22. ^ "DJ Switch releases 'Success' after setting records at the 2019 Ghana DJ Awards | Ghana Music | Top Stories". Ghana Music. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  23. ^ Mensah, Jeffrey (2020-01-03). "DJ Switch wins international award in India; beautiful photos drop". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  24. ^ a b "Dj Switch starts off 2020 with a hat trick of international recognitions | Ghana Music | From The Industry". Ghana Music. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  25. ^ Mensah, Jeffrey (2020-11-23). "Beautiful photos drop as DJ Switch wins again at Ghana DJ Awards 2020". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  26. ^ "Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, Kwame Yeboah, DJ Switch win awards at 2021 IRAWMA - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  27. ^ "DJ Switch donates desks to A.M.E Zion School in C/R". 3news. 2019-09-30. Archived from the original on 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2019-11-07.