It’s not easy being a Belieber. And as UAE fans are finding out, to get any closer to pop sensation Justin Bieber means making enemies and losing friends. Oh snap!
Dubai teenager Neha Syed says she’s been at the receiving end of some nasty remarks over Twitter and Facebook ever since she was selected as one of the lucky winners to meet Bieber in Dubai on Sunday.
The 16-year-old was voted the ‘Ultimate Belieber’ by a Dubai radio station and will get a chance to get up close and personal with the tween heartthrob before his second concert at the Sevens Stadium.
“Some people were not happy for me,” says the Wellington International School student. “There were many saying nasty things on Twitter and things like I don’t deserve it to win and that I wasn’t fan enough.
“There was girl in school who cried telling everyone I didn’t even like Justin Bieber and it’s not fair that I won a chance to meet him.”
Mustafa Mohammad, a Year 6 student at Dubai International Academy, says a few of his friends have stopped talking to him since he won the ‘Ultimate Belieber’.
“They were angry that I didn’t tell them about the contest and why I didn’t take them along with me,” says the 11-year-old, who was making a T-shirt in honour of the pop star on Saturday.
But both Beliebers — that’s the term used for Bieber fanatics, if you’re still wondering — say the honour is far too much to worry about “other jealous fans”.
“I’m just too excited to be concerned about threats or anything like that,” says an excited Syed, who was born in Canada, where Bieber is from.
“I’ve been waiting far too long for this to happen. And to be honest, I would be jealous too if someone was in my place.”
Syed, who says the hardest question she’s ever been asked in her life was to pick a favourite Bieber song, says she will never forget the day the pop star followed her back on Twitter.
“It was on September 2, 2010, at 3.32am. That was the best day of my life. Then, when he [private messaged] me on December 9 at 10.38am, after I told him I loved what he was doing to help others in need, I cried for three days.”
Tickets for Bieber’s Believe world in Dubai on Saturday night were sold out months ago, prompting organisers to add a second date in the city the next day.
Syed and Mohammad say they had to make a 30-second video to convince sponsors why they were Bieber’s biggest fans. Their win includes a pamper session before they are picked up in a limo to meet their idol.
Mohammad, who says he’s been a fan of Bieber since the time he became a YouTube sensation, says his favourite two songs are Beauty and the Beat and All Around the World.
“He travels the world to bring joy to every one. For him, every one is the same irrespective of race or colour. That’s what’s amazing about Justin Bieber,” he says.
