The UK will always be important to Harry, Liam, Louis and Zayn because Harry is from Holmes Chapel, Liam is from Wolverhampton, Louis is from Doncaster and Zayn is from Bradford. The UK is also significant to Niall because they became a band on the UK X Factor and he lives in London now when he’s not touring with the boys. All the boys have made London their new home.
When Up All Night was released, it sold 138,163 copies in the UK in its first week of release, just behind Rihanna’s Talk That Talk album, which sold 163,819 copies. Their first single, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, was the most pre-ordered single Sony had ever had at the time. It was number one on iTunes within 15 minutes, knocking Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ down to second place.
The front cover of Up All Night was taken from a photo shoot that the boys did at Camber Sands, East Sussex. It was a natural shot of them just having fun on the beach.
The first tour the boys did was The X Factor Tour with the finalists from the show. They got to sing five songs in every show. They had a great time but their Up All Night Tour was far better: they didn’t have to share the stage anymore. Their first show was in Wolverhampton on 21 December 2011 and then it moved to Manchester, Bournemouth, Birmingham, Plymouth, Nottingham, Brighton, London, Glasgow, Liverpool, Newcastle, Blackpool, Sheffield, Cardiff, Dublin, and ended in Belfast on 26 January. Fans rushed out to get tickets and the tour was a sell-out, with some people paying £100 or more for tickets on eBay.
Harry told the backstage cameras, ‘I think for us the highlights of the tour have been the audiences. The audiences have been just so enthusiastic and really got involved. So it’s been good that they’ve been a part of the whole show, the whole experience.’
One of the boys’ favourite UK concerts was their final night in London on 22 January 2012. Zayn tweeted, ‘London!! Smashed it amazing show thank you directioners never fail to impress me with their lung capacity u guys can scream! #amazingfans!’
Niall told his followers, ‘London incredible tonight! Off t chill now! Cant wait t sleep’.
In February 2012, it was announced they would be doing a UK and Ireland Arena Tour in 2013 (this was to become The World Tour). Initially, there were only 15 dates planned but, after the tickets sold out minutes after going on sale, the boys tweeted that they were adding more dates. They added an extra 20 days and they too quickly sold out.
During the tour, the boys were supported by American alternative-rock band Boyce Avenue. When their UK dates finished, the Boyce Avenue boys presented them with customised Baby Taylor guitars with ‘1D & BA’ on the back and their autographs. The guitars were an expensive gift: they would have cost Boyce Avenue a hefty £20,000 (about $31,000).
When they started out, one of the boys’ rituals was to line up five sweets and each of them would eat one. But, after about a month, they forgot to do it.
One of the boys’ scariest moments with fans happened when they were at Heathrow airport. They confessed all to Maude Apatow from Teen Vogue.
Liam said, ‘We were in Heathrow once, and there were about 500 girls at the airport. We went out the side door to try to get to our car but we couldn’t get to it. Zayn’s hoodie got ripped off. I got a good whack in the face.’ Zayn added, ‘There was a security booth outside and it was all glass. People were licking the windows. It felt like we were in a zombie movie.’
Once a fan asked if she could lick Liam’s face, which he found really odd. Louis thinks the girl should have gone for it: ‘If I was a fan and I actually had the wish to lick Liam’s face, I wouldn’t ask. ’Cause you know what the answer’s gonna be. I would have just gone for it.’
The boys’ biggest performance ever was during the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games. They performed ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ on top of a lorry as it circled the inside of the Olympic Stadium. Zayn debuted a blonde band in his quiff, which fans instantly loved.
After their performance, Niall tweeted, ‘That was unbelievable, highlight of our career, and the biggest audience we will ever play to one billion people! #ThankYouLondon2012’.
The boys had all-access passes at the Olympics, and they used them to sneak away from their security team. They went to the top of the Orbit tower and they went to the Aquatics Centre even though it was closed to the public at the time. They also watched a water polo match – and teased their security team by sending them photos.
The boys might have filmed their first two videos in America but they filmed their third in London. (One Direction’s third single in the UK and Ireland was ‘One Thing’. It was their second release in other countries.) Harry, Niall, Liam, Louis and Zayn filmed the video on 28 November 2011. Fans were invited to take part for the scenes in Trafalgar Square and the boys had a blast just messing around.
Louis told Real Radio the concept: ‘Basically, there wasn’t much of a script for the video … it was more like, we’re going to go to these different locations, be yourself, do what you want to do and, for me, it’s our, probably, most real and more like us video that we’ve had so far – it worked really well.’
Harry tweeted the next day, ‘Big thanks to everyone who got involved in our video yesterday!! It was fun, and hopefully you’ll like it. Video 3…done!’
Harry’s mum says Harry’s bedroom in London isn’t the neatest. She told the People, ‘In Harry’s bedroom there are clothes everywhere, posters from clothes shops, trendy things from catalogues. He has a brown and cream colour scheme but the clothes are everywhere. He’s pretty messy, it is his worst habit.’
Harry and Zayn have both bought houses near each other in an exclusive part of London. Harry’s house has a double car lift, four bedrooms, three reception rooms and three bathrooms. It is rumoured to have cost him £3 million!
The boys filmed the video for ‘Live While We’re Young’, their first release from their second album, in the Kent countryside over two days. Harry tweeted, ‘Great day shooting for the music video for “Live While We’re Young” bit nippy…’
The video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and it had a happy, celebratory feel to it. The boys wake up in a huge tent at the start of the video and then have fun with their friends around a camp. Louis drives them around in a Jeep, they have water fights, play in a pool, play football, swing off a rope swing … basically, have lots of fun! Niall is there, strumming his guitar, and even appears without a top on – Harry, Liam, Louis and Zayn just keep their wet shirts on.
After filming finished, Niall tweeted, ‘Guys! We have literally just finished shooting the video for “live while we’re young” ur gona love it! It was soo fun to shoot!’
Harry also tweeted his followers, ‘Day two finished, and that’s the video for ‘Live While We’re Young’ done. Amazing crew, amazing people involved. Thanks again.’
The video was supposed to be shown on 24 September 2012 for the first time but, a few weeks earlier, photos from the video were leaked and then, on 20 September, a rough version of the video was posted online. This upset the boys as they didn’t want fans to see something that wasn’t perfect. They decided to release the official version that day instead and said in a statement, ‘We wanted our fans to see the video and hear the single in the proper way so we’ve moved the première to tonight. We’re really excited about LWWY, we’ve worked really hard on it and we can’t wait for everyone to see and hear it later today!’
‘Live While We’re Young’ was written by Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk, who had written/produced ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.
‘Live While We’re Young’ became the fastest selling pre-order single ever. It was number one in 40 countries worldwide! The boys’ PR company released a statement on their website stating, ‘“Live While We’re Young” is pop perfection – an immediate, energy packed song mixing rock undertones with smooth harmonies, about living for the moment.’
Niall tweeted, ‘Thanks for the love for LWWY, we have worked hard on this album, hope u enjoy the rest of it’.
Shannice is 15 and from London. She first met the boys when they appeared on the Alan Carr: Chatty Man show. It was their first TV interview after The X Factor. She has met them many times, as she goes to the TV studios in London whenever she knows they will be appearing on a chat or game show.
She explains what it was like the first time she met them: ‘I thought they weren’t going to come out because it got so dark and late, but they did. Their security team kept telling them they had to go but they just ignored them. Liam said to me, “I have the same jumper as you, it’s cool,” which he probably did, as it was a men’s jumper from a JJB Sports store!
‘All the times I’ve been to the studios since, they have come out, signed things, taken pictures and generally tried their best to please all the fans, which is so nice of them. One time Louis took a photo of me and Liam, and another time Zayn took a photo of us together. The photo Zayn took is a bit blurry but I don’t mind.’
If you want to follow Shannice on Twitter, her Twitter name is @onedirection_ZM.
Ellie is 15 and from Liverpool. She met One Direction on 22 October 2012 in Doncaster, where Louis took part in a charity football match. She says, ‘I went with my friends Rosa, Neave and Jocelyn. It took nearly five hours to get there but it was so worth it the second we saw Harry pull into the car park and get out of his car. He waved for a while before going inside. Soon after, Niall and Liam pulled in and did the same. Eventually, Louis came and he kindly came round and took pictures with loads of fans at the barriers, including us. He was so sweet and really polite, despite the fact people were screaming in his face.
‘The match was so much fun to watch, and we even got to speak to Harry, Liam and Niall really hurriedly before it started. We had a really good time, and the screaming every time Louis got the ball was insane. At the end of the match there was a penalty shootout, and everyone was so gutted when Louis missed, but they let him take another shot and he scored. I have never heard screaming like that, not even in a concert. The fact that this was all organised for charity made it even better, and it was such a good idea. It was such a great night, worth all the travelling!’
Danielle is a fan from Glasgow and she also went to Louis’ football match, as well as seeing the boys perform in Glasgow. She doesn’t mind having to travel to see Harry, Niall, Liam, Louis and Zayn. She thinks that the atmosphere at a 1D concert is amazing and they sound even better live.
Megan is 16 and from Brighton. She has met the boys twice: once at a signing for their book Dare to Dream and then at their Brighton tour date on the 8 January 2012. At the Brighton concert, she got to go backstage because her friend Georgia had been Harry’s Radio 1 Star Caller a few months earlier. Georgia had entered a competition to have Harry ring her and he had done, while she was in a science class at school. While he was on the phone, she had the opportunity to ask him one question, and she asked if she and Megan could meet them on the tour. Megan takes up the story:
‘He said yes and asked what date we were going to and said we will keep in contact and sort something out. And, of course, we went absolutely crazy with joy because we already had third row tickets, and to get to meet them was a dream come true again!’
On the day of the concert, Megan and Georgia had to pick up special wristbands from the reception at 7pm. When they arrived, the receptionist called someone to take them up to the room where they would be meeting Harry, Niall, Liam, Louis and Zayn. ‘We entered the room to be greeted by Liam sitting with another fan and her mum and with his girlfriend Danielle,’ Megan recalls. ‘He greeted me by saying, “Hey, babe,” and I said hello and gave him a cookie that said “Love from Georgia and Megan’, and he said, “Aw, thanks, babe, I’ll make sure the other boys see it.”
Megan and Georgia had a photo taken with him and then they got to meet Harry, Niall and Louis. Megan gave both Niall and Louis a kiss on their cheeks but, when she pulled away from Louis, her hair got caught in his stubble, which was funny. She told him, ‘Maybe you should go have a shave,’ which made him laugh. Sadly, Zayn didn’t come into the room but the girls got to meet the boys’ drummer Josh and had a photo taken with him too. He was smaller than Megan because she was wearing heels, so he had to stand on his tiptoes and she had to bend down a bit to make it look like they were the same size
Katie is 14 and from Essex. She has met the boys twice in London but admits she’s never been as nervous as she was the first time she met them. ‘I was shaking uncontrollably,’ she says. ‘I couldn’t believe that they were really standing right in front of me. I couldn’t say anything, I was in complete shock, still shaking as each of the boys tried to make conversation, saying hello and asking me how I was. All I could say was, “Hello, I’m really good, thanks.” Once it was over, I was so annoyed with myself. I wish that I had spoken more.’
Katie made sure that when she met them for the second time at Lakeside Shopping Centre she was prepared and didn’t waste the opportunity. She brought a fan book she had made and gave it to Zayn, who was really chuffed.
Amy is 15 and from Halifax. She met the boys on 16 August 2011 in Leeds while they were promoting ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ at a local radio station. Her advice to fans going to meet the boys is to take a camera so you can take as many photos as possible. ‘When Niall started waving at me from their car, I think my heart stopped!’ she confesses. ‘My hands were shaking like crazy, and I was capturing as many memories as I could as they all climbed out and started walking in my direction.’
She was so excited when Harry agreed to have a photo taken with her. ‘He put his arm round my back, just touching my waist, while my arm was clasping his waist,’ she says. ‘My mum was taking the photo, so I went to look at it and, to my disbelief, she hadn’t taken the photo!’
Thankfully, Harry didn’t mind doing it again, otherwise Amy’s mum would have been in big trouble.
Jenna is 17 and from South Shields. She has met the boys twice and Niall even sent her a Christmas card! Jenna explains how she came to get a card: ‘Well, I spoke to his dad’s girlfriend, Aofie; we had been in touch lots and lots through Skype and Facebook. My friend’s mam knew her too and thought, as a Christmas present, getting something signed for us would be really nice. So they got in touch and sent over Christmas cards for me and my friend. Luckily, the day they arrived at Niall’s home, he had a couple of days off. Well, Aofie wanted them to be personal and took into consideration things we spoke about. Well, we always joked on about Niall having a poo face, so she told Niall that and that’s why he wrote “you smell off poo poo” inside the card, and he wrote “gocky” in my friend’s because he always used to say it.
‘As for meeting them, I met them in Newcastle on The X Factor Tour and I met them in Leeds during their radio tour. When I met them in Leeds, Niall gave me a doughnut and we got a photo together. He signed a poster I had made for him and we chatted with Zayn about giraffes because I have an obsession with them and Niall said he only liked giraffes because I did.’
Rebecca is 16 and from Cardiff. She met the boys when they were doing the X Factor Tour at the Motorpoint Arena. She decided to get there early and wait outside in case she could see them. She had to wait hours and hours but they did eventually come out to speak to her and the other fans that were there.
‘When they came out, I couldn’t believe my eyes,’ she says. ‘They were playing football in the arena. Their rules were that they weren’t allowed outside unless they were playing football. They weren’t allowed to meet the fans. One Direction, being One Direction, didn’t stick to that rule though. They kept coming to the fans and signing autographs, taking pictures and being dragged away. I remember just watching Liam walk over to me. He was looking directly into my eyes. Everybody was screaming but I was too mesmerised by that actually being Liam Payne to scream. And with that, he came straight to me and began to sign my autograph, smiling that huge smile he always does. Then, before he moved on, I managed to burst out with, “I love you, Liam.” And he looked back to me, smiled and said, “I love you too.”
‘From then on, the crowds grew, yet the boys continued to try their best to meet us. Louis came over and signed an autograph for me, and I managed to stroke his hand (weird, I know!). Harry also began to mimic me, smiling, blowing kisses, waving, just doing what I was basically doing. They were so lovely. I gave them footballs and they were SO grateful. They started playing about with them and I couldn’t remove the smile from my face.’
Hannah is 17 and from Norfolk. She first met the boys outside the Channel 4 TV studios in London with her friends Adrianne and Lauren. There were so many fans waiting there for them that, when they caught a glimpse of the boys through a fence, it all went a bit crazy. Hannah and Lauren had brought some presents for the boys but the only way to get them to them was by throwing them. Hannah explains, ‘I had made an I LOVE NANDO’S T-shirt for Niall the day before meeting them and was determined to get it to him. So Lauren threw the T-shirt through the fence and it hit Niall on the head, but he caught it and blew a kiss to her. I was so excited Niall had his T-shirt, but I was still determined to get the rest of the presents through, so I threw the other presents over the fence for them to pick up.’
Once the boys had gone inside, Hannah and Lauren decided to go for a wander around London for a couple of hours to calm down and have an ice cream. They figured the boys would be a while filming – they were right. When they got back, they waited right by the fence, and made some new friends. ‘While we were waiting, everyone was singing and chanting,’ Hannah remembers. ‘It really was amazing meeting and being around all these girls who had so much in common with you.
‘After about four hours the boys came out and the screams were really loud. I was pushed up against the fence by loads of girls but I was prepared: I had my phone case, what I wanted Niall to sign, my notepad and a pen. Liam came up to us first and I got his autograph, and my friend gave him one of my sharpies, which he thanked her for. Then Niall came up to us. I was so excited. I gave him my phone to sign and he signed the case and then I asked him if he got the Nando’s T-shirt and he said, “Yes, thank you, I’m going to wear it tomorrow!” At that moment I didn’t care if he was lying – he still got it! I got autographs from Zayn, Louis, Liam and Niall that day; Harry didn’t really come up to us as he stayed up the other end, but I was so happy.’
When the boys had gone back inside, Hannah and Lauren made their way back to the train station, but it was so late that they missed the last train home. Thankfully, Hannah’s dad came to pick them up – otherwise they would’ve been stranded.
When Hannah woke up the next day, it felt like it had been all a dream. She went on Twitter because Niall was doing an #AskNiall so fans could ask him anything they wanted: ‘He mentioned my T-shirt on an answer to someone. It said, “Yes I love Nando’s one of the beautiful girls from yesterday gave me an I Love Nando’s T-shirt!” He called me beautiful, so my life was made!’
If you want to follow Hannah on Twitter, her Twitter name is @hannaa_26.
When 16-year-old Eleanor from Sheffield read a tweet from Liam saying, ‘I love these squidgy things there amazing’ with a photo of him holding a bright yellow rubber face ball with blue hair, she couldn’t help but smile. She was one of 118 fans who tweeted him back, telling him that, if he ever came to her hometown, she would give him a squidgy ball, not thinking she would receive a response. But she did. He tweeted back, ‘Love that, thank you babe J’. Eleanor rushed out, bought him an orange one with green hair, and couldn’t wait to give it to him in person one day.
Why not follow Eleanor on Twitter? Her account is @Nouis_Toran. She has around 7,000 followers on Twitter, including Liam himself!
Emily is 16 years old and from London. If you own the Take Me Home Limited Edition Yearbook, flick over to the fans page to see a photo of Emily with Niall: she is wearing a pink top and Niall has his arm around her. The photo was taken on 15 September 2011 at their Dare to Dream book signing in a shopping centre in Thurrock in Essex. Emily explains what happened:
‘I was just about to meet the boys, but their management told the boys to take a five-minute break, as they had been sitting for quite a while signing books. As they were having their break, they were messing around and interacting with the screaming fans. The boys were also filming footage for their A Year in the Making documentary for ITV2 and Louis stood on his chair and took a camera from the crew. He started to film the fans on all three levels of the shopping centre, the queues on the floor, and then he leaned down and put the camera on me – I was so happy! I was standing behind Niall so he basically filmed me and Niall!
‘Later on, Liam and Niall were sitting and standing on the table. When Niall climbed off the table, he dropped the sharpie he was signing books with; he was looking around on the floor for his pen and, because I was in the first row, I shouted out, “Niall, your pen!” and pointed to where the pen was lying. He walked over, picked it up, and then came over to me and kneeled on the stage and over the barrier to thank me. He gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. I was so shocked and I was in hysterics. Not only did I get a hug and kiss from him, I also got my picture taken. I was the only person Niall took a picture with during the break! I couldn’t believe it when the photo appeared in the Yearbook.’
Maisie is 15 and from London. Maisie has met the boys lots of times outside their recording studio in London. Every time she meets them she gets butterflies in her tummy. ‘They are such genuine, lovely boys who really care a lot about their fans and always take the time to meet them,’ she says. ‘I hope everyone gets a chance to meet them because, if you love them as much as I do, it really will be the best and most memorable experience of your life!
‘Once when I was at the studio, Louis came out with a towel on his head hoping we wouldn’t recognise him, but his bright red chinos and stripy top kind of gave him away. Another time, Niall kept peeping his head out of the car door and jumping in and out of it, playing around. They’re always up for a good laugh and enjoy messing around with the fans.’
When 16-year-old Ciara met One Direction with her friends, she gave them loads of toys and stuff just for fun, like pink feather boas, power rangers, swords and kid’s balls. They all played around with them and Ciara found it so funny. They gave Harry some pink hair rollers as a joke and he put them in his hair!
Ciara says, ‘It makes me so happy knowing I’ve met them and I am very grateful.
After many more failed attempts to meet them again in 2012, in October I attended Louis’ charity football match and met him outside before the game and he signed my Up All Night album.
‘They’re such nice boys, I just wish I had the opportunity to meet them more often. A lot of the times you go to see them outside hotels and concerts they just get in their tour bus and drive away because they’re in a rush or there are too many people.’
Charlotte is 16 and lives in Essex. She never expected to meet the boys on her way to an appointment at the Great Ormond Street Hospital with her mother. She thought they were in America, but she was wrong.
Charlotte and her mother were early, so decided to go to Milkshake City – the place where One Direction like to go for their milkshakes when they are in London. Milkshake City has lots of photos of Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn on its wall, as well as photos of JLS, famous footballers and Kimberley Walsh from Girls Aloud. They even sell a One Direction milkshake, which contains Dime bar, Twix, chocolate digestives, Jammie Dodgers, a secret ingredient, and has Millions Bubblegum on the top. (There is one flavour for each member of the band.)
On their way to Milkshake City, Charlotte recognised the gates to Princess Park Manor where One Direction were living at the time. Harry and Louis were living in one apartment and the other three boys were living in another, paid for by their record label. She decided to see if she could get a closer look, and her mother came along too. The building’s security guard chatted to them and, after they’d had a quick look around, he asked if Charlotte would like to leave a message for the boys and told her to go to reception. Before she could, he admitted that Harry might still be in the building because he could see his car, parked a way to the left. Charlotte and her mother decided to have a look at it but, as they got closer, they realised that Harry was right there, next to his car. Charlotte couldn’t believe it! Harry turned and smiled at them. He then said, ‘Hello, ladies,’ which Charlotte describes as ‘the moment my heart melted. I had no idea what to do. I couldn’t think to save my life.’ All she could reply was, ‘Hiya, Harry.’ Here’s the conversation that followed:
Mum: ‘Why, hello, Harry, aren’t you polite?’
Harry: ‘Hello, what’s your name (to Charlotte)? Ahh thanks (to Charlotte’s mother).’
Charlotte: ‘Um, I’m Charlotte.’
Harry: ‘What a lovely name Charlotte is! I like that name. One of Louis’ sisters is called Charlotte and it’s a very pretty name. Sooo, what you doing here?’
Mum: ‘Well, Charlotte has a hospital appointment at Great Ormond Street and we were on our way to Milkshake City, then we spoke to security and they said come down if you want.’
Harry: ‘Aww, what do you have to go to the hospital for, Charlotte? And, yes, Milkshake City is the best! I love it there!’
Charlotte: ‘Well, umm, I have bad migraines and I go there!’
Harry: ‘Aww, you poor thing! Come here (he stepped forward and gave Charlotte a hug and a kiss on the cheek!). Have you got anything you want signing?’
Luckily, Charlotte had a 1D CD in her bag, so Harry signed that and then he asked if she wanted a photo, so her mother took one with her phone. The boy’s hair stylist, Lou Teasdale, came outside and Harry told them he would be back in a minute; he just needed to take his washing inside.
While he was gone, Charlotte and her mother had a nice chat to Lou about the tour and then Harry snuck up on Charlotte, shouted, ‘Boo!’ and then started laughing. He apologised, saying, ‘Sorry for that. I’m just so excited for America!’ Charlotte started giggling and replied, ‘It’s OK! And you must be! I would be too!’
Charlotte’s mother then said, ‘OK, we had better be off, I think we are going to Milkshake City next… Umm, do you know where it is ’cause I don’t have a clue?’
Harry smiled, said he loved Milkshake City and then gave them some directions so they would be able to find it. As they turned to go, Charlotte went to say goodbye but Harry spoke first, saying, ‘Oh, yes, forgot to say, thanks so much for helping us get The Brit. It’s all down to people like you! And did you hear us say about the tour next year?’
Charlotte couldn’t believe Harry was thanking her for being a fan, and told him, ‘Aww, that’s OK, you and the boys deserve it. And, yes, I’m on O2, so I get priority, so will hopefully get some tomorrow.’
‘Ahh, cool! I wish I could buy some, but I’m at work! I think it would be a great show to see!’ Harry joked.
Her mother teased, ‘Ah, well, I’m sure they may let you have a seat on the stage for free.’
Harry laughed and said, ‘Ah, yes, we can’t wait already and it’s 366 days to go!’
As they walked away, Charlotte’s parting remark to Harry was, ‘It has been a dream meeting you!’ and he wouldn’t let her go without another hug. ‘Bye, Charlotte and Charlotte’s mum,’ he shouted as they walked back up the drive to the main road.
Charlotte thought that was the only chance she would ever get to see Harry, but she was wrong: she got to see him again a few minutes later, as Harry, Liam and Louis went to Milkshake City for a milkshake while she was there! When Harry saw her, he pointed and said, ‘Hey! Are you following me!? Haha, only joking, babe! Then Louis turned and said, ‘Harry, is there something you’re not telling me?’
Harry explained how they had met before and Liam signed Charlotte’s CD. They were having a chat and posing for a photo, but then Liam’s phone went off and it was his girlfriend, Danielle Peazer, so he moved into the corner to speak to her in private. Harry tried to get Louis to sign the CD, which he did and then his phone went off before he could have a photo. The boys had to leave but Charlotte didn’t mind too much though, because Harry gave her another hug and kiss and wished her good luck at the hospital.
Today, when Charlotte thinks back to that day, she says, ‘I still can’t believe it happened, it was amazing. Harry smelled of sugar and aftershave! Liam smelled of popcorn and aftershave and Louis smelled of perfume and aftershave!’ If you would like to follow Charlotte on Twitter, her account is @CharW1D.
Emily is 14 and from Liverpool. She met One Direction on Saturday, 17 September 2011. She wouldn’t have been able to meet them if it hadn’t been for her dad. He knew how much she wanted to see them, so volunteered to camp out for Emily and her friend Jess on the Wednesday night to get a wristband for their Dare to Dream book signing in Liverpool. He got there at midnight, even though the WH Smith’s store wasn’t open until 7am the next day. He was 30th in the queue. He had brought with him a camping chair, a few blankets and a flask of hot chocolate, but he spilled it over the chair. Emily’s dad didn’t get much sleep that night.
Emily woke up early the next morning, waiting for her dad to call, but he didn’t. Emily really thought he must have missed out because she’d been expecting a call not long after 7am and nearly an hour had passed. She couldn’t wait by the phone because she had to leave for school but, when she got outside, her dad pulled up in his car with two Dare to Dream books and two wristbands – he had done it! She was going to be meeting the boys two days later!
When she caught up with Jess in the playground, Emily decided to pull a prank on her and pretended that her dad hadn’t got the wristbands. Emily pretended to cry and Jess fell for it, giving her a hug. Emily quickly came clean and the two of them started talking about what they were going to wear (once they had stopped screaming). Emily choose her ‘I LOVE 1D’ top, black leggings and red Converse, and Jess choose an 1D top with beige leggings and red Converse. It turned out that their other friend, Paige, and Emily’s cousin, Alicia, had wristbands too.
The night before the signing, Jess came over to Emily’s house as she was going to be sleeping there so they could go the signing together. They didn’t get much sleep though; they were too excited. They rang their friend Charlie on Emily’s mobile, even though it was the middle of the night, and kept looking at the clock to see how long they had left to meet Harry, Louis, Liam, Zayn and Niall. They finally went to sleep at 3am and got up at 7am to start getting ready for the book signing at 10am.
Emily’s dad and mum drove them to the centre of Liverpool. It was packed because it was a Saturday but the girls needed to get a birthday card to give to Niall because it had been his 18th birthday on 13 September. After they’d got the card, they quickly wrote in it before they arrived at the secret location – The Russell Building. The girls had to wait for two hours in the pouring rain until they were allowed in. While they were waiting, Liam and Louis hung their heads out of the window and waved to the waiting fans. Loads of people screamed, including Emily and Jess; they were going to meet them after dreaming about it for so long. The girls spotted Harry’s dad Des, and Emily’s mum even chatted to him, telling him that Emily was smitten with Harry, and he admitted that he was the proudest dad in the world.
As they got into the lift with Emily’s mum to go up to the signing, Emily and Jess clasped their hands together and kept a tight hold on their Dare To Dream books. It was so surreal to them, knowing that in only a matter of minutes they were going to be standing in front of One Direction. As they got out of the lift, they could see their friend Paige up ahead, standing in front of her favourite member, Zayn. She started crying, but then Louis went under the table and jumped back up with a mask on to cheer her up! All the fans couldn’t help but start to laugh.
Harry’s mum, sister, cousin Ella, Zayn’s sisters and Zayn’s mum were there that day too. Superfan Olivia shared a lift with them and says, ‘When we were in the lift, my friend didn’t realise who they were, so I texted her subtly and then we started laughing. I said, “Hi,” to Anne because I used to talk to her on Twitter, but I didn’t speak to the others as we were only in the lift for about three minutes.’
When it was finally their turn, Emily and Jess were nervously laughing, and Zayn was too. The security guard took their books and put them on the table. The seating order was Zayn, Louis, Liam, Niall, and then Emily’s favourite, Harry, last. She passed her camera to her mum to make sure she captured it all. When they got to Louis, Emily passed him a note from her friend Poppy and then they spent a while chatting to Liam. He asked them if they were OK and stroked Emily’s hand – she nearly died – she hadn’t been expected him to do that and it made her blush. Jess gave Niall his card and he said thank you. He was surrounded by balloons the fans had given him and he was wearing a green flower necklace, a white skull top, blue baggy jeans and blue Supras. The girls thought the boys looked even more gorgeous in real life: Zayn was wearing a white top, a burgundy American Apparel jacket, chinos and burgundy Doc Martens; Louis was wearing a blue top, grey jeans and grey Toms; Liam was wearing a blue checked shirt, chinos and white Converse; and Harry was wearing a brown jumper, jeans and Converse.
When it came to Harry, Emily froze. ‘The person who I love with all my heart was sitting there. His eyes looked at me,’ she explained. ‘“I love you,” blurted out of my mouth; he said, “I love you too,” back. I couldn’t believe it. I know he says that to every girl who tells him that they love him, but for that moment I was in complete awe. Paul (their security manager) then said we had to go, and we walked away, still in complete shock. We got outside the building and our mouths where still hanging open, buckets full of tears running down our cheeks. We stopped to watch our videos and the photo my mum had taken of Harry. We were still crying and this old man came up to me and Jess and asked if we were OK. We walked to the car, with our prized possessions in our hands. We couldn’t believe it. It only lasted one minute, but it was the best one minute of our lives. It was the best day ever, we were so lucky.’ If you would like to follow Emily on Twitter, her Twitter account is @harrywhora.
Before the signing, the boys popped into Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to visit sick children. They wanted to help put a smile on their faces and they certainly did that. The children were thrilled to see their heroes.
Abi is 16 and from Rochdale. She met the boys on Saturday, 17 September 2011 too. After Emily had seen them in Liverpool, they jumped in their van and headed to the Trafford Centre in Manchester for another signing. The boys are always really busy travelling to many different places so that they can see as many fans as possible.
When Abi met Louis, she gave him a picture her five-year-old sister Lily had drawn of him. She had used green crayon and Louis had three legs, but he didn’t seem to mind, and he gave Abi a huge smile. The boys love receiving pictures from their fans and put some of them up in their apartments. They keep them with the fan books they receive; the boys love looking at them and appreciate the effort fans have gone to.
Abi wanted to give her sister a big surprise, so asked Louis if he could say hi to her while she recorded it on her mobile. He nodded and said, ‘Hi, Lily!’ and then he and Liam burst out into a chorus of ‘Lily, Lily, Lily, Lily’ while Niall laughed. The girl behind Abi in the line started pushing her but she held her ground and went to speak to Harry. He remembered her from when they’d met before at another event. He said, ‘Hi Abi’. Abi was so touched that he’d remembered her, because he meets so many fans every day. For her it made all those times she had spent waiting in the cold for hours to see them worth it.
You can follow Abi on Twitter if you like. Her account is @abiwhitefoot.
Magda is 16 and from Hayes, London. She has more than 25 different photos of herself with the boys from the various times she has met them at Heathrow Airport and in other places. In one photo, she is giving Louis a piggyback!
She says, ‘It’s not always easy meeting the One Direction boys. I wouldn’t call it “luck” at all. I call it effort. Every single time I met them I have put effort into finding out where they are and all the relevant information. Luck would be if I randomly met them and didn’t put the effort in, although I’m lucky I live near the airport because that’s where I have met them most frequently. The boys are really lovely when you meet them, although paparazzi sometimes ruin it for me, my friends and other fans, as security takes them straight to the cars. It’s for their own safety though. Seeing how popular the boys have become and how many more fans turn up at places makes me feel proud. I appreciate every single moment spent with them because I’ve got really nice memories with them. The best thing about meeting the boys is the friends you make along the way and I have made many.’
If you want to follow Magda on Twitter, her account is @1DCrew.
Laura is 17 and from Doncaster. She met the boys on 17 August 2011 at the Trax FM radio studio in Doncaster with her cousin Lucy and friends. They arrived there at 9am; it was a hot day so Laura got quite burned as they were waiting.
Always take plenty of drinks and food with you when waiting to see the boys outside a studio. And look at the weather forecast so you can take sun cream, waterproofs or extra layers if you need them. It’s a good idea to take a foldable chair too, if you can.
At approximately 3pm, Louis’ mum Johannah arrived with his sisters Lottie, Felicite, Daisy and Phoebe. They didn’t rush inside but came to talk to Laura and the other fans waiting. They said that Louis was on his way. A while later, a journalist came and wanted to speak to any fans that were from Doncaster and Laura was chosen.
While they were waiting for the boys, one of the fans started to feel unwell. Laura explains what happened: ‘A girl stood a bit to the left of me was found by one of the police security people sat on the ground feeling faint, so an ambulance was called. Turns out she hadn’t eaten all day. Louis’ mum came over and asked why there was an ambulance. The policeman told her and she was, like, “Well, hasn’t anyone got a Mars bar?” I know it wasn’t a laughing matter, but the way she said it was funny.
‘At about five past four a people carrier turned up, and by now there must have been at least 100 girls and everyone was screaming, thinking it was them. Then a woman got out and some bodyguards. It was so funny. People still thought they might be in the back (because it had blacked-out windows), so I got crushed against the barrier.
‘Then I was just like looking around in confusion, and I saw the same type of people carrier driving down a different road near us. The boys went the wrong way. Haha! Two minutes later, the people carrier eventually found us, coming through the gate. Niall was sat in the front passenger seat and was the first one out.’
Laura was speechless when Harry, Liam, Louis, Zayn and Niall started walking towards her and she gripped tightly onto the fan book she had made. Liam noticed it in her hand and asked, ‘You want me to take that?’ He winked as he took it and their hands touched for a moment. One Direction then went inside for their radio interview, returning to meet fans afterwards.
When they did, Laura asked Zayn to sign her iPod, which he did, and then they had a photo together. Niall came over. He was hyper so gave Laura a superfast hug and signed her iPod. She also got a hug and picture from Liam, and he signed her iPod. When Louis came over, Laura managed to make him laugh. She explains what happened: ‘He signed my iPod, then I got a photo with him. I have a rubbish phone, and couldn’t really see the screen because of the sun, but I thought that I hadn’t got him in the photo. So I asked for another one. And he was, like, “You don’t ask for much, do you?” and I was, like, “Duh, I’m from Doncaster, this doesn’t happen often,” and he started laughing and he was, like, “Just kidding, of course you can have another.”
‘Turns out, both pictures were OK; the first one just cut out a bit of my head, haha.
‘Then Harry came over. I’d like to say that I kept my calm and played it cool. But I’d be lying. My iPod had run out of room, so I asked him to sign my hoodie. He said, “Yeah, sure.” But his pen stopped working, so he was stood in front of me for a while digging in his pockets for another pen, pulling faces at me (’cause, you know, tight trousers). I got a pic of him pulling a face: http://twitpic.com/67llc2.
‘Once he’d found the pen and signed my hoodie, he leaned over me to sign a few things behind me. Harry Styles was touching me. And then everyone started really pushing. The security guard pulled him away and had a word with him. He then went to the people next to me. I asked for a picture but he’d already moved on and the security guards were, like, “No turning back.” But he turned back to me and said sorry while nodding his head towards the security guards.
‘It was a great day, one I won’t forget. Before them, I’d never really met a celebrity, so it was amazing to meet my favourite five singers. It was also nice sharing the experience with my cousin and friends, as we’ll always have that experience to remember together.’
If you want to follow Laura on Twitter, her account is @1Direction_Lver.