Meet Ghana's 11-Year-Old DJ Switch

Erica Tandoh, aka DJ Switch Ghana, rose to fame after winning TV3 Ghana’s “Talented Kidz” in 2017. She’s gone on to perform at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers event and was recognized by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

Known to many as "DJ Switch," Tandoh turned her love of music into a serious hobby when she was nine. She was planning to complete as a spoken-word poet on "Talented Kidz" — a popular show on Ghanaian network TV3 — when her parents encouraged her to do something that would stand out. They hired a DJ who taught her how to use turntables and mix songs.

Tandoh competed in and won season 8 of the show, which aired in 2017. She received a cash prize of 10,000 Ghanaian cedi (about $1,800.) "I felt happy performing for a crowd and audience," the now-11-year-old says. "I was not feeling shy, and I wanted to give it my best."

Tandoh's win earned her significant popularity, both locally and internationally. In 2018, she became the youngest person ever to win "Discovery of the Year" at the Ghana DJ Awards. That same year, she caught the attention of billionaire philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates, who invited her to perform and speak at their foundation's Goalkeepers event in New York City, which brings together global leaders to discuss fighting poverty and inequality.

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Meet Ghana's 11-Year-Old DJ Switch