Thousands of cameras catapult out of pockets and rapidly click in harmony. From winning online meet and greets to having a rare chance to meet after their tour, fans around the world gather their pens for just one chance at an autograph from their favorite celebrity.
“I met Beabadoobee and she was really cool,” Tamia Anderson (12) said. “[At her concert,] she was really engaged with the fans and even when I met her, she was really kind and sweet. She was like ‘I want to get to know everyone’ and [she] wasn’t a rude person.”
As the cameras flash, most fans either capture a picture of or with celebrities while others become statured at the mere presence of them. From fainting to having a one-word conversation filled with regret seconds later, fan interactions can have a variety of outcomes.
“Beabadoobee was outside her tour bus and there were [fans] around, so she [started] taking pictures and signing stuff for people,” Anderson said. “I got a picture with her, and she signed my shirt. When she signed my shirt, I was shaking so bad. I was too starstruck, and I didn’t ask her anything. I should have [told] her how good she is; I was just being weird [and] blacked out a bit.”
Some encounters are with celebrities that fans have only heard of through third parties, but others are meaningful and stick with fans throughout their life. Some fans are even able to meet the celebrity that evoked their passion for a specific instrument or gave them confidence in their everyday lives.
“[Iron Maiden’s song] ‘Stratego’ made me more motivated to practice guitar and it made me [realize] ‘hey this is really cool,’” Olivia Sterling (9) said. “I won this giveaway for a part on a guitar, so I got to have a small [virtual] chat with [Bruce Dickinson]. I was freaking out; I was shaking; I thought I was gonna throw up. I was like ‘what do I do,’ ‘what do I say.’”
Many celebrity interactions are able to shape and mold the lives of fans that meet them. Fans can find comfort or representation that they are not presented with in real life through celebrities they keep track of through social media.
“[Skai Jackson] was a major inspiration for me,” Eva Bowen (11) said. “She was a major Black character and growing up [as a Black kid] that was really cool to see … I was starstruck when I met her.”
In the midst of crowds of fans stampeding the streets, these celebrity interactions bring some fans closer to their loved ones. Sterling has been a fan of Iron Maiden for a long time as her dad introduced her to the band. Throughout her life, the band has strengthened her love for guitar and her relationship with her father.
“I’ve always been a fan of [Iron Maiden] because my dad really likes them,” Sterling said. “[When I met Bruce Dickinson] my dad was like ‘I’m so jealous’ and he was peering over my shoulder the whole time.”
As ink lingers on the fabric of hundreds of shirts and thousands of autographs, fans around the world frame their interactions, whether it be on their wall or engraved in their heads. From meeting singers to Disney stars to band members, every interaction with a celebrity is unique from any other. As celebrities’ scents linger into the sunsets and fans’ screams fade into the abyss, the memory of meeting a celebrity is forever within anyone who experiences it.
“[Beabadoobee] was super laid back and chill,” Anderson said. “The only other famous person I met was Laura Marano from ‘Austin & Ally’ and it was like an actual meet & greet. This one was more in the moment [and] wasn’t intentional. I told myself ‘You’re not gonna meet her; don’t get delusional.’ [Next time], I wanna actually talk to her about her music.”
