Sometimes the boys will do interviews in London for TV shows in other countries. This was the case when the presenters from Norway’s talk show Senkveld came over and interviewed the boys. Harry told them about the first time they’d seen themselves in the UK newspapers. ‘I remember there was one morning when we’d heard that we were in the paper and it was the first time that we’d been in the paper,’ he said. ‘All of us went to the shop and got this paper and we were, like, gathered around this paper, reading it, and we were, like, “Our picture’s in the paper, it’s got out!”’
The picture in the newspaper was actually taken by Louis’ mum of them on some stairs.
Norwegian fans were so excited when they found out that Harry, Niall, Liam, Louis and Zayn would be going to Norway as part of their World Tour in 2013 and would be playing at the Telenor Arena in Baerum on 7 May, as they hadn’t managed to visit with their Up All Night Tour.
Victoria is 16 and from Oslo. Her biggest wish was to meet One Direction but she had no idea how she would meet them until she found out about the Bring Me To ID fan event. On their website, the boys wrote, ‘All across the world, Go1Den Tickets are being released. Winners will get to take a friend and a guardian to see the boys perform at their Madison Square Garden gig in New York City on 3 December PLUS get a VIP invitation to attend a very special day on 4 December with the boys!’
Victoria wanted to enter, but she knew it wouldn’t be easy: so many fans in her country would want to go. The challenge for Norwegians was to get as many people as possible to say ‘I love One Direction’ and to film a video of it. She had to think of something really creative and knew the perfect person to help her – her best friend Jina. Their video is incredible; check it out by visiting vimeo.com/52333842. Victoria and Jina got hundreds of people to say it – even a water aerobics class in a swimming pool!
Once One Direction had picked the girls as their winners, the Norwegian comedian Nils Aadne was given the task of telling them. Victoria had been sent upstairs to tidy her room and was so shocked when Nils came up the stairs. They went to tell Jina together, but she spotted them before they got to her front door, and ran outside in the freezing cold. She didn’t even have shoes on as she started crying and hugging Victoria in the snow. They were going to be flying over 3,000 miles to meet One Direction!
Victoria reveals what happened a few weeks later: ‘We met the boys in New York, 4 December 2012. It was literally the best day ever! Jina and I got two minutes alone with the boys, which probably sounds like nothing, but for Directioners it’s everything. To even be in the same room and lay our eyes on them is incredible. When I walked towards them, I was so excited, but I didn’t cry, I didn’t pass out. I just said, “Vas Happenin.” It was a bit awkward, but oh well. It was really weird seeing them in real life because they looked just like they do in pictures and I felt like I knew them. I was really starstruck, but at least I was able to talk!’
Victoria thought the lads were really laid back but also that they seemed quite tired. ‘They’d had a concert at Madison Square Garden the night before, so I don’t blame them,’ she says. ‘I asked them how they were, told them that I loved their gig and explained to them that Harry jumped right on me at the concert. I even managed to “rawr” at him, so the boys had a proper laugh. Harry seemed quite shocked but he rawred back at me. I am now known on Twitter and YouTube as the Rawr Girl, haha! They signed my Dare To Dream book, and it’s so surreal to look at that book thinking that they’ve touched it. When it was time for pictures, I asked them if they could kiss my cheeks, and they just smiled and said yes. Harry and Liam kissed my cheeks and I held my Norwegian flag in my hands. My friend was sat beside me and she got a kiss from Zayn. We said our goodbyes and Harry said, “We’ll see you downstairs.” We walked out of the room and into an elevator and I suddenly burst out in tears. It was so many emotions at once, I just had to lie down. A security guard asked my dad if I was all right, so maybe that explains it. I was shaking like never before and everything felt so unreal. It was just like a dream! After the meeting, the boys sang three songs and answered some questions. I was really enjoying every second of it!’
As well as meeting the boys in New York, Victoria flew to see them perform in Liverpool, England on 17 March 2013.