Ghana Business Spotlight: Lorie Jean Strother in Conversation with Didi DJ

Welcome to another exciting episode of Ghana Business Spotlight, where we highlight rising talents, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs shaping Ghana’s creative and business landscape. In this episode, Lorie Jean Strother, a powerhouse in networking and business development from Ghana Business Connections, sits down with one of Tema’s most promising young DJs—Didi DJ.

Didi DJ, a name rapidly gaining ground in Ghana’s music scene, is not just another DJ. Her electrifying live performances and unforgettable mixes have set her apart in the competitive world of DJing. But what indeed sets her apart is the story behind the beats-a tale of passion, dedication, and the relentless pursuit of success.

Join Lorie as she delves into Didi’s journey, exploring how she discovered her love for music, the challenges she faced in breaking into the industry, and the moments that shaped her career. They’ll discuss:

🎵 The Early Days – How Didi DJ Got into Music and What Inspired Her to Become a DJ.
🎧 The Ghanaian DJ Scene – Insights into the industry, competition, and the evolving music culture.
🔥 Building a Brand – How Young Creatives Like Didi Are Leveraging Social Media and Networking to Grow Their Presence.
💡 Overcoming Challenges – The struggles, setbacks, and breakthroughs that come with pursuing a dream in the entertainment industry.
🚀 Future Plans – What’s next for Didi DJ, her aspirations, and advice for aspiring DJs and creatives.

Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, or music enthusiast, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical insights. You'll gain valuable knowledge on navigating the creative industry in Ghana, leaving you feeling informed and equipped for your own journey.

Tune in, get inspired, and discover the rhythm behind the success of Didi DJ! This is your chance to delve into the world of a rising star and be part of her journey. 🎶🔥

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all streaming platforms.

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00.43)
everyone, I'm Didi DJ. I'm a Gen Z DJ from Accra, Ghana.

Speaker 2 (00:20.622)
Good afternoon and welcome to Ghana Business Connections. Thank you, Dede, for showing up today. Great, so I'm going to start out with the first question. I've been really anxious and excited about this interview. And so who is Dede DJ? Tell me about yourself.

Thank

We appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (00:40.968)
Okay, so My actual name is Tracy. I did you okay? So that's where the needy comes from a deal. That's my middle name and born and raised in Timah and I'm a DJ in Ghana I cry. I was a BA degree holder business administration

Alright, so not just a DJ. Now, are you willing to share how old you are? Okay.

I mean, I don't mind. I'm a 2,000 bro. So I'm 23 years old.

Okay, well great, great. Thank you so much. Now, when did you first fall in love with DJing?

I've actually loved music my whole life. I think when it sparked up was high school So I was in school. I was like the sound engineer. Mm-hmm. Yeah, no this time I had to play music for a drama club and The outcome was amazing because I played a ride music for the right scenes, you know So like it was amazing. So that's when I my interest got really intense. Yeah

Speaker 2 (01:54.114)
Yeah. Now, what do you enjoy most about DJing?

What does that say earlier?

It was how I made people feel. know, like how I made them feel. was just a feeling. It makes me feel good. Sorry. So it's just a feeling like how I make people feel happy. when you're like, I said DJ, you always have to play just happy music. mean, gather emotions. So even when you're sad, I can play like the right music for you, you know?

Now, Didi, have you ever been in a situation where the crowd is not just, you know, moving like you feel they should? And what do you do in those instances where you want to move the crowd?

Yeah, there's actually been numerous situations like that. And with that is I just test the music general thing So if I'm playing hip-hop I see that people aren't feeling it I'm gonna switch to let's say Afrobeat and then you see like somewhat like you see people jamming like yeah, then they want to hear Afrobeat So I just keep playing Afrobeat and then switch it up, you know

Speaker 2 (03:07.758)
Tell me, what is your most memorable DJ experience?

I would say the fact that I got the chance to play at Black Star Line. Yeah, so there's this big artist group in Ghana from Kumasi. It's a drill group. Yeah, it's called Asaka. So I got the opportunity to DJ for them for some time. they were performing on the Black Star Line. So I went to DJ for them. So I think I was like very memorable because the crowd was wild.

one of my biggest crowds.

Now was that pretty recently?

Speaker 1 (03:50.968)
Yeah, it was January 2023.

okay so really was recently okay great now what are your future dreams for yourself as it relates to DJing?

My future dreams is a lot. Okay, I would like to play like big DJ big DJ events like specifically DJ events like Tomorrowland, know cuz like watching being a DJ I used to look up to a lot of like DJs mostly the European DJs cause of that the crowd they they they could control the crowd they played

Yes, and I was like one day I'm gonna be here. Mm-hmm. Yeah, so that's one of my dreams and also My dream is to learn production. Mm-hmm. Yeah, because it's linked is it goes on and on with DJing to release my own music Yeah, one of my dreams and host my own event Organize my own events. Mm-hmm. It's one of my dreams. Yeah

So one of questions that I like to ask small business owners is why you? Why should you get what you are dreaming of? So this is the chance for you to sell yourself to someone out there that's looking for the next DJ to come to their country. Tell us why you

Speaker 1 (05:26.03)
So I feel like this is my calling and it's not just a hobby or anything. I feel like it's part of me and yeah and I feel like I'm the right person because I'm not just I'm versatile. Like I don't just play this or that. play everything. Yeah so...

And what are some examples of everything?

I play house music, play EDM, play techno, play piano, play Afrobeat, hip hop, dancehall, R &B, it's a lot. And I'm still learning, and I'm still discovering other music genres too.

Yeah. And how long have you exactly been doing it now? You told us when you started, how and so how many years now?

professionally it should be three years

Speaker 2 (06:23.406)
What's your average number of gigs per year if you had to guess? Per month maybe.

Yeah.

For my, look at this, this December, just this December, let's see, maybe 30. Wow.

30 days and there's only 31 days

Yeah, and it's like most of the gigs it's not just like what's other gigs are back-to-back in a day Mm-hmm. I could get four gigs in a night the for me. I'm moving to the next

Speaker 2 (07:03.052)
Wow, you are hot. Four gigs a night, wow, okay. So, Dee Dee, this is a question that we ask each person that comes on to the show because it's important to us and that question is, do you have a passport? And have you been anywhere yet or do you have plans? You talked about maybe the US, maybe Europe.

yeah, I do have a passport.

Speaker 1 (07:31.88)
Yeah, I haven't been anywhere yet but the plan is to like take it overseas. Yeah, so hopefully.

Yes. All right. Well, Dee Dee, thank you so much for coming to visit us again today.

Thanks for having me. I love this.

Yes, thank you so much. You have a great day.

Thank you.

Speaker 1 (07:57.326)
Hello, lovely people. This is Didi DJ and I was live on Canada Business Connections. Stay tuned.