London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Harrison McDonald: The 16-year-old DJ juggling gigs and GCSEs

Harrison McDonald: The 16-year-old DJ juggling gigs and GCSEs

"I just couldn't wait for the invigilator to end the exam so I could be on my way to the airport," says Harrison McDonald.

Like many other 16-year-olds, he was sitting his GCSE exams this summer - unlike the others he was flying off afterwards to DJ in front of 100,000 people at a gig in Paris.

Once his chemistry test finished, he picked up his luggage from the back of the exam hall and headed straight to the airport.

"It was like chalk and cheese," he says. "Starting the day of in a dead silent, tense hall where you could hear a pin drop to barely hearing myself think over the bass during the festival".

He has been DJing since the age of 11 after a clip of him went viral and plays gigs regularly in his home city of Liverpool and abroad.

He's played alongside established names such as Liverpudlian singer-songwriter Jamie Webster - who went to Harrison's secondary school years before - and rock band The Lightning Seeds.

Nerves don't affect him before gigs: "I thrive off the people there. I guess the only thing that may concern me is picking the right song but it's great when it fills the dance floor".

His musical journey began as he was starting secondary school when his father bought him some equipment


Despite an intense schedule with bookings each week, he doesn't feel the pressure.

"Due to gigs being on the weekend, balancing is never really an issue".

He makes an effort to prioritise education alongside his DJ career: "I think it's important to make the time to revise especially when I have various gigs within exam season".

Being able to get that balance right is something he puts down to support from his school and his family.

"I have to be thankful to my school who set up a club called 'revise till 5' which meant that I had the opportunity to get quality revision in right after school, which then gives me the time to prepare for gigs."

Harrison says he tries to ensure he has time to be "a normal teenager" and meets up with friends, especially in the exam season. "It gives your mind something else to think about instead of covalent bonds," he says, referring to his chemistry studies.

As a Liverpool football fan, Harrison says his dream goal would be the chance to play for the players


His musical journey began as he was starting secondary school when his father bought him some equipment: "I am very grateful that my dad has provided me a platform to do what I love.

"I owe it all to my dad really, he got me lessons and pushed me to become the best I can. I'm very appreciative of what he has done for me."

His advice to young people would be "just do it, as many people contemplate pursuing something and never do. Becoming a DJ has given me so many fantastic opportunities."

He's spending the rest of the summer in Ibiza on various residencies, and in September will launch a radio show from Dubai, which he is particularly excited about. "I have never had to speak in any of my gigs so I can't wait to be able to interact with my audience," he says.

As a Liverpool football fan, he says his dream goal would be the chance to play for the players: "I think within the dressing room there are some good characters who would be dancing to my funky house beats".

Like his peers he has to wait until August for GCSE results. So how does he feel about what lies ahead?

"After an exam, I have to try and never think about it again. I'll never see the paper again and what's done is done. I shouldn't worry because the outcome will still be the same."


The school where pupils learn to DJ


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
'They're people from all walks of life across the UK'
EU Digital ID Claims Misstate What Brussels Can Legally Force on Member States
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
CATL Unveils Revolutionary EV Battery Tech: 1000 km Range and 7-Minute Charging Ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
Power Dynamics: Apple’s Leadership Shakeup, Geopolitical Risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and Europe's Energy Strategy Amidst Global Challenges
Apple's Leadership Transition: Can New CEO John Ternus Navigate AI Challenges and Geopolitical Pressures?
Italy’s €100K Tax Gambit: Europe’s Soft Power Tax Haven
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
Meghan Markle Plans Exclusive Women-Focused Retreat During Australia Visit
Starmer and Trump Hold Strategic Talks on Securing Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions
Unofficial Australia Visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Expected to Stir Tensions with Royal Circles
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
UK Stocks Rise on Ceasefire Momentum and Renewed Focus on Diplomacy
UK to Hold Further Strategic Talks on Strait of Hormuz Security
Starmer Voices Frustration as Global Tensions Drive Up UK Energy Costs
UK Students Voice Concern Over Proposal for Automatic Military Draft Registration
Rising Volatility Drives Uncertainty in UK Fuel and Petrol Prices
UK Moves to Deploy ‘Skyhammer’ Anti-Drone System to Strengthen Airspace Defense
New Analysis Explores UK Budget Mechanics in ‘Behind the Blue’ Feature
Man Arrested After Four Die in Channel Crossing Tragedy
UK Tightens Immigration Framework with New Sponsor Rules and Fee Increases
UK Foreign Secretary Highlights Impact of Intensified Strikes in Lebanon
UK Urges Inclusion of Lebanon in US-Iran Ceasefire Framework
×