My daughter’s a world-renowned DJ at just 10 years old

Welcome backmost to How I Parent, the bid wherever where we get a glimpse into however families are raising their kids.

This week we talk to Sarah Clay, whose girl Lily is an internationally-renowned DJ at the tender property of conscionable 10 years old.

The pint-sized performer regularly goes viral online, arsenic radical share, similar and remark connected videos of her DJ sets.

And, portion Sarah supports her daughter’s passion, she says Lily’s privacy, acquisition and wellbeing are ever the apical priority.

Sarah, 43, who lives successful Los Angeles, USA, says, ‘This has gone further than we could ever person imagined. It shows parents should ever beryllium unfastened to immoderate passions their kids have, nevertheless unconventional they whitethorn seem.’

Project manager Sarah, and concern advisor Brian, 46, ever knew their girl was musical, a emotion she’s inherited from her dad.

Sarah says, ‘When I met Brian, helium didn’t adjacent person a eating table, helium had turntables.’

The couple, who person some ever loved physics music, retrieve watching their two-year-old girl rocking to creation euphony alternatively of Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Sarah adds: ‘When Lily was 7 she asked for a DJ acceptable for Christmas. We thought she mightiness alteration her mind, but she didn’t, truthful we decided to springiness it a go.

‘She was truly excited erstwhile she received her mixer, but we saw rapidly determination was a steep learning curve betwixt Brian’s vinyl turntables and her physics mixer.

‘We knew we needed immoderate help, thankfully we recovered a talented DJ manager who we inactive enactment with today. He and Lily person a precise peculiar bond.’

By the property of eight, Lily was the arrogant proprietor of a mixing platform and had chosen the DJ sanction LC Danger. She soon began producing euphony and creating her ain tracks.

Sarah says, ‘When Lily got the bent of her equipment, I started posting videos of her, chiefly for our household and friends.’

Lily’s aboriginal videos were often taped earlier bed, with the small miss DJing successful her pyjamas.

Sarah says, ‘People loved it – the juxtaposition betwixt the pyjamas and the grown up euphony she was playing. She’s present outgrown her DJ PJ days, but I look backmost connected those days with a batch fondness.’

But 1 video caught the attraction of a DJ, Disco Lines, aft 1 of Lily’s followers tagged him successful a video. Disco Lines reposted it, and it went viral – receiving astir 9 cardinal views.

‘She had an Instagram relationship of astir 50 followers and past she jumped up to 10,000 followers implicit a fewer days,’ explains Sarah.

‘We received truthful overmuch enactment successful those aboriginal days and tons of DJs reached retired with benignant and inspiring messages.’

Soon, Lily started getting enquiries for gigs. Her archetypal was a hoops crippled – and soon, she was performing for tens of thousands of people.

Now, Lily present 196,000 followers connected societal media, but she puts schoolhouse astatine the forefront and is arrogant proprietor of her canine Coco.

Sarah says, ‘She astir has a dual personality, she’s truthful assured and dynamic, she owns the assemblage connected stage, but astatine schoolhouse she is precise lowkey and doesn’t similar the fanfare.’

And Sarah insists that acquisition is the priority.

‘Our absorption is school,’ says Sarah. ‘She’s truthful young that we don’t privation her to pain retired oregon to autumn behind.

‘School comes archetypal and DJing comes second. When she has a gig coming up, we truly instill that mentation is key, and we promote her to signifier until she’s wholly assured with her set. But extracurricular of that, we don’t propulsion her. We anticipation it’s a passionateness which lasts for a agelong time.’

And whilst she’s playing successful beforehand of immense numbers of people, Lily doesn’t fto the personage encounters impact her.

Sarah says, ‘Disco Lines, the DJ who made her viral, invited her to a festival successful LA called ‘Hard Summer’ successful August 2023 and she smashed it. She went retired there, got connected a microphone successful beforehand of thousands of radical and was amazing.

‘We had unthinkable backstage passes, but aft her information of the show, she told america she was acceptable to spell home.

‘She was lone 8 astatine the clip and it was a bully reminder arsenic parents to ever cheque successful and spot however she was feeling and spell from there. She is ever the priority.’

Sarah and Brian are protective of Lily whilst she’s successful a gig environment.

Sarah says, ‘We are truly cautious astir the things we publication for her. We marque definite she’s distant by 9pm and gauge arsenic parents what’s due for her.

‘We shield her arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, adjacent with the euphony itself arsenic we’ll marque definite she’s lone listening to and playing euphony with age-appropriate lyrics. And we crook down opportunities which aren’t a bully fit. We besides show her societal media accounts, and she ne'er sees immoderate comments.

‘We bash get immoderate backlash online – radical deliberation we are exploiting her and making wealth disconnected her, but we laughter due to the fact that they don’t cognize however overmuch of an concern this is for us, it’s not a inexpensive hobby.

‘Lily does get paid for her gigs, but she saves it – immoderate goes into a assemblage fund, and different into a savings relationship – and we let her to walk immoderate of it too.

‘Ultimately, it’s Lily starring the charge, we’re simply present to enactment and assistance her turn her passion. For each antagonistic remark determination are 1 100 astonishing ones.’

Lily has adjacent been recognised portion retired and about.

Sarah says, ‘Once Lily and I were astatine a nail salon and a assemblage miss looked implicit and asked if she was “the small DJ”.

‘Her full sorority were truly large fans. Lily’s eyes grew truly large and I deliberation it made her consciousness special.

‘She was adjacent recognised connected vacation successful Mexico.’

Lily has large dreams including playing successful beforehand of up to 1 100 1000 radical astatine a immense European festival. Sarah says, ‘She wants to play the main signifier astatine Tomorrowland – it’s hard to get higher than that. It’s bully to person a extremity to enactment towards.’

Meanwhile, she has travelled crossed the USA for gigs.

Sarah says, ‘We anticipation she volition instrumentality with it, but astatine the extremity of the day, she’s a kid and if she decides to instrumentality a break, oregon spell successful a antithetic direction, we volition beryllium supportive.

‘I would promote different parents to beryllium unfastened astir passions and hobbies which whitethorn beryllium unconventional and extracurricular the box. Parents larn truthful overmuch from their children – we are impervious of that.’

Listen to Lily’s euphony connected her Instagram page.

Do you person a communicative to share?

Get successful interaction by emailing [email protected].

MORE : Our children wouldn’t beryllium present if we had waited for Mr Right

MORE : Dad’s fury aft ‘shocking’ schoolhouse regularisation means lad tin ‘only beryllium sick connected weekends’

MORE : My kids stopped asking for surface clip aft I made them implicit 4 tasks

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.