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| One Direction poses with Directioners |
A brave Belieber from college took on two die-hard Directioners from school at the t2 office and was left dizzy with their madness and passion for “their boys”. Snatches from the impassioned debate...
Why a Directioner?
Anqua Khan (Class X, Our Lady Queen of the Mission School, Directioner): One Direction is just perfect. I’ve never seen such a crazy fan following in India for any other band. It has got something that makes the girls go crazy.... They lost The X-Factor but won the world’s heart.
Iqra Humayun (Class X, Ashok Hall Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Directioner): From voice to looks, they are just unbeatable. The way they behave with their fans, especially the way they pose with the fans. They understand their fans very well. Bonding between them and their fans sets them apart from the rest.
Anqua: Yes, their voice is amazing. And they write the lyrics keeping in mind the girls’ feelings. It is also about looks. All five of them have great talent and looks. And yes, they bond very well with us.
Iqra: They are down to earth. That is what I like the most about them. And they dedicate all the songs to their fans. Liam Payne said “They are our girls and we are their boys” and that was like woooooooowww!
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| Justin Bieber takes a selfie with a Belieber |
Why a Belieber?
Annesha Thakur (Third year, Scottish Church College, Belieber): Justin Bieber’s Baby appealed to me. People said a lot of things like ‘it’s a girl singing’ but he has evolved as a singer and now he has one of the best voices I have ever heard. Whether it is Boyfriend or Never Say Never, Bieber appeals with his baby face and cute voice. People talk about his controversies but we also need to remember the good things, like when he helped this girl who slit her veins for him. That shows he is a nice person too.
Who scores more?
Anqua: One Direction is into a lot of charity work and helps the fans. They have donated millions of dollars to Africa. Instead of spending on music videos, they donated money to Comic Relief, a British Charity.
Iqra: They have asked people to donate money for cancer patients who cannot afford treatment, and some of the donors can spend a day with Liam and Harry.
Annesha: We should focus on music and not what they give to charity or how charitable they are. Every celebrity is into charity because they can afford that. But if we come to music Bieber is more famous than One Direction.
Iqra: No! No! Bieber’s fan following has reduced.
Annesha: That depends, like you know, there is a huge crowd of people who go by looks. You cannot compare a band of five with a solo singer.
Anqua: But then, if his fan base would have been so dedicated or strong then you would not have said it is five against one.
Annesha: But Bieber has better music. He sings better. When he sings there is something in his voice that touches your heart.... They (One Direction) came up from a reality show, Bieber posted a video on YouTube that got a million likes. Bieber had the capacity to make a place all by himself and did not need anyone else (fans) to do it for him. There was a movie on Bieber too.
Iqra: But it did not release in India! This Is Us was not releasing in Calcutta but we the fans kept calling t2 for a release and we succeeded in making it happen!
Annesha: One Direction craze is mostly among school kids, come out of school and you will realise.
Anqua: No, there are many college students who are Directioners!
Annesha: Well, Bieber is a trendsetter. Justin has set a trend and One Direction is following....
Anqua: You can’t say that, it’s not fair. One Direction has broken Bieber’s viewer record. There were 10.8 million viewers for Best Song Ever in just 24 hours.
Annesha: Everything cannot be based on breaking records.
Iqra: But this proves whose music is better, you know.
Annesha: Recently in our college fest, I was singing Pink when everyone stopped me and shouted ‘Please sing As Long As You Love Me, please sing Boyfriend or Never Say Never.’ I have never seen such craze. Even if you go to clubs you hear Bieber.
Iqra: No! No! No! No! I have heard One Direction in clubs. And if you see the worldwide fan base, it is One Direction who wins!
controversy quotient
Anqua: Justin Bieber is always into controversy. We know of many Bieber fans who have become Directioners.
Iqra: Fans of Bieber are calling themselves Recycled Directioners. This is because there is something in One Direction and their songs that is better. Simple, you see!
Anqua: Besides, Bieber does not care about his fans. This is where One Direction is better than Bieber. When Bieber was in a relationship with Selena Gomez, his fans were like ‘Why? Why is he in a relation? Please! No!’ But if your star is happy you should be happy for him. Isn’t it?
Iqra: Like Zayn has got engaged recently and all the Directioners are so happy. We keep saying ‘Zayn, you have to get married soon’. In fact, even their girlfriends support us (fans).
Annesha: If we are talking about controversies, look at any singing legend, everyone has been into controversies. It is the bad-boy image that makes them more appealing. Bad boys are more attractive. At the end of the day Justin has the highest number of followers on Twitter.
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Iqra: On Twitter, yes, but that is because he started when he was 16.
Anqua: Bieber needs to drink and drive to get attention but the One Direction boys do none of these, in fact, they don’t need to do all that.
Crazy, crazier, craziest
Anqua: One Direction fans are crazier than Beliebers. We love carrots because Louis eats carrots, we do not use spoons as Liam is scared of spoons, Harry loves cats and so we too love cats.
Iqra: Louis named a pigeon Kevin, so whenever we see pigeons we shout ‘Hey, that is Kevin!’ People think we are crazy but for us it is normal.
Annesha: So now if I get drunk and drive will I be called a true Belieber?!
Anqua: The maddest thing I have done is photoshopped my pictures with theirs.
Annesha: Girls slit their veins for Justin and scream ‘marry me’.
Iqra: That even the Directioners do when they see One Direction boys.
Anqua: Directioners think of themselves as one big family unlike the Beliebers and that’s why they rule.
A Belieber and her mom
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Justin Bieber alone can match all the 1D boys! Bieber is a lot more realistic with his songs. I can connect to Bieber songs. 1D’s lyrics are complex.
Bieber is any day better-looking than 1D. I don’t like their hairstyle. They have weird girlfriends. It is not that I hate them, but I prefer Bieber. Their voices are girlie. Yes, Bieber too had a girlie voice, but it’s improved.
Justin Bieber is also better dressed. He has his own style and I really like his shoes. I have also watched Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. He is such a fun guy.
I don’t know why the girls like 1D! My friend who likes Zayn Malik has no grudge against his girlfriend, while I never watched any Selena Gomez film!
Justin Bieber always surprises his fans.
— Anwesha Mukherjee,
Class IX student of South City International School
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My idea about both Justin Bieber and One Direction is limited to what Mani (daughter Anwesha) makes me listen to. I have heard a few 1D songs and I quite like them, but I know the Bieber songs by rote because that’s what I have to listen to. I live with her, so I have to like Bieber or else I can be killed!
A lot of people who follow me on Twitter say I am a cool mom because I allowed Mani to buy Justin Bieber merchandise. They have taken Mani’s number from me and have become Facebook friends! My newfound identity is that I am a cool mom of a Belieber!
— Swastika Mukherjee, actress
