At 14, this Laval DJ is following in his dad's footsteps and hoping to make a name for himself
He's 14 years old and has been DJing for more than half his life.
DJ Sajed, whose real name is Sajed Hable, is ready to take the main stage Thursday night at the Orientalys Festival.
The Laval native says he remembers watching his dad, DJ Omar, DJing on turntables and decided to give it a try.
"I started playing and everything. Then, he saw me. Then, he was like, 'Wow, we're mixing.' Then, every day after school, I kept practicing, practicing, practicing ," the teen said.
He's too young to spin at clubs but plays public events and receptions.
"He is very talented. And also we have the passion and he's also fantastic at reading the crowd. He can switch, you know, from people going to sit back on their chair and really make them dance again for another hour," said his aunt, Jacinte Labarre.
His biggest gig yet is Thursday when he performs in the Old Port of Montreal at the Orientalys Festival that celebrates multiculturalism through music, food and dance.
"Everyone represents their culture and they mix between them. So you can see the people from Thailand dancing with the Syrian people, you can see the Iranian people dancing with the Kyrgyzstan people," said the festival's Matias Olivier.
The free festival runs through Sunday and showcases talents from China, Mongolia and Thailand, among others.
"It's a way to build a bridge without thinking about it, between the cultures because everyone discovers something that resonates with their own culture," Olivier said.
DJ Sajed takes over the tunes at what would normally be his bedtime, pleasing the crowd with some reggae and hip hop, plus a little Latino and Lebanese music.
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