Young Dubai DJ Gains Fame
2021-05-15
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1Michelle Rasul, age 9, is one of the world's top DJs or disc jockeys - people who play recorded music on the radio or at celebrations or parties.
2Rasul even competed in this year's international championship and placed 14th out of 85 DJ stars from around the world.
3At her home in Dubai, the rising star from Azerbaijan described how she got her start.
4"I looked at my dad while he was practicing DJ-ing and I saw him and was like, 'Wow, is he doing magic or something? He's a real magician...'" Michelle told The Associated Press recently.
5She added, "When I turned 5 on my birthday, I told him, 'Dad, I want to be a world famous DJ.
6I'm going to start practicing.'"
7Michelle smiled and added: "And the rest is history."
8Michelle is the youngest-ever person in the DMC World DJ Championship.
9She placed 14th out of 85 DJ stars from around the world in the "Portablist" category this year, the portable scratch competition.
10The 2021 competition was held online due to the coronavirus crisis.
11Although she did not go to the next round this time, she is determined to beat her father, Vagif "DJ Shock" Rasulov in next year's competition.
12Rasulov came in 9th place this year and taught Michelle how to DJ.
13Turntables are the part of a record player that turns the record.
14Turntabling - taking a record, putting the needle down and sliding it back and forth with one's fingertips - came onto the music scene in the late 1970s among hip hop artists.
15Turntabling can look like a simple act, but it is an art form.
16It involves sound mixing and methods like quick, rhythmic scratching or "crabs," or rubbing the record under the needle.
17From the moment her parents gave her a mini DJ starter set, they recognized her strong abilities.
18Sadia Rasulova, a former violinist, is Michelle's mother.
19"She just catches things so fast," she said.
20"I realized that she's a star, that she's really talented."
21When children her age were listening to children's music, or as she put it, "'Baby Shark' stuff or ABC songs," Michelle said she listened to rap artists like Tupac Shakur, Chuck D, Jay-Z, the Notorious B.I.G. and Michael Jackson, who remains her favorite.
22Her parents started putting video of her DJing online, and Michelle's popularity grew.
23Her Instagram page has around 110,000 followers.
24Online messages from DJs ages 6 to 65 came in from around the world, she said.
25Before the pandemic put big gatherings on hold, Michelle performed regularly at weddings, parties and musical events across the city.
26While the rest of the world pays attention to her accomplishments as a DJ star, Michelle is busy attending online school, reading and hanging out with friends and dogs at her neighborhood park.
27But her heart is always in turntabling.
28"I can't imagine my life without music," she said.
29I'm John Russell.
1Michelle Rasul, age 9, is one of the world's top DJs or disc jockeys - people who play recorded music on the radio or at celebrations or parties. 2Rasul even competed in this year's international championship and placed 14th out of 85 DJ stars from around the world. 3At her home in Dubai, the rising star from Azerbaijan described how she got her start. 4"I looked at my dad while he was practicing DJ-ing and I saw him and was like, 'Wow, is he doing magic or something? He's a real magician...'" Michelle told The Associated Press recently. 5She added, "When I turned 5 on my birthday, I told him, 'Dad, I want to be a world famous DJ. I'm going to start practicing.'" 6Michelle smiled and added: "And the rest is history." 7Michelle is the youngest-ever person in the DMC World DJ Championship. She placed 14th out of 85 DJ stars from around the world in the "Portablist" category this year, the portable scratch competition. The 2021 competition was held online due to the coronavirus crisis. 8Although she did not go to the next round this time, she is determined to beat her father, Vagif "DJ Shock" Rasulov in next year's competition. 9Rasulov came in 9th place this year and taught Michelle how to DJ. 10Turntables are the part of a record player that turns the record. Turntabling - taking a record, putting the needle down and sliding it back and forth with one's fingertips - came onto the music scene in the late 1970s among hip hop artists. 11Turntabling can look like a simple act, but it is an art form. It involves sound mixing and methods like quick, rhythmic scratching or "crabs," or rubbing the record under the needle. 12From the moment her parents gave her a mini DJ starter set, they recognized her strong abilities. 13Sadia Rasulova, a former violinist, is Michelle's mother. 14"She just catches things so fast," she said. "I realized that she's a star, that she's really talented." 15When children her age were listening to children's music, or as she put it, "'Baby Shark' stuff or ABC songs," Michelle said she listened to rap artists like Tupac Shakur, Chuck D, Jay-Z, the Notorious B.I.G. and Michael Jackson, who remains her favorite. 16Her parents started putting video of her DJing online, and Michelle's popularity grew. Her Instagram page has around 110,000 followers. Online messages from DJs ages 6 to 65 came in from around the world, she said. 17Before the pandemic put big gatherings on hold, Michelle performed regularly at weddings, parties and musical events across the city. 18While the rest of the world pays attention to her accomplishments as a DJ star, Michelle is busy attending online school, reading and hanging out with friends and dogs at her neighborhood park. But her heart is always in turntabling. 19"I can't imagine my life without music," she said. 20I'm John Russell. 21Malak Harb reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it 25magic - n. tricks that seem to be impossible and that are done by a performer to entertain people 26category - n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way 27portable - adj. easy to carry or move around 28scratch - v. to rub a surface or object with something sharp or rough in a way that produces a harsh sound 29rhythmic -- adj. having a regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements 30needle - n. a very small piece of metal that touches a record and produces sound when the record is played 31talented -- adj. having a special ability to do something well : having talent