I Am DJ Michelle

Book excerpt: For young readers inspired by bestselling autobiographies such as Essentially Charli and Reach for the Skai comes the extraordinary true story of how a nine-year-old DJ from Dubai became an international superstar, as told in her own words—with some help from her “Momager”—with a foreword by Wyclef Jean. Dubai wunderkind Michelle Rasul was only a toddler when she first got behind the turntables. By the time she entered the 2021 DMC Global DJing Championship, she was on her way to becoming an international celebrity. Her inspiring autobiography is a testament to passion, talent, family, love, and perseverance—and above all, a celebration of Girl Power with some scratching and a beat. Award-winning children’s author Rabiah York takes the reader through DJ Michelle’s extraordinary life in a rollicking, intimate narrative driven by Michelle’s own words—joined by the star’s mother, Saida Rasul. (Or “Momager,” as the family prefers.) In conversation, mother and daughter open up not only about the magic of music in their lives, but about the discipline it takes to journey from precocious youngster to professional scratch DJ. For all of Michelle’s positivity, she is unflinchingly honest about the obstacles she has had to overcome to achieve such astonishing success at such a young age. The print edition is enhanced by colorful photographs and other fun multimedia inserts—including (but not limited to) crucial bits of DJ history; text messages from friends, fans, and celebrities; even a school assignment. The audio edition is enhanced by the author’s own mashups and scratching demonstrations.