Best and Worst Celebrity Encounters of 2020

If you know me or have scrolled through my Instagram, you likely understand why people call me “that girl who meets tons of celebs.” It’s true—I’ve been lucky to meet A-listers like George Clooney (he really did say I was the best!), Selena Gomez (multiple times!), Michael B. Jordan (People’s Sexiest Man of 2020 😉) and Khloe Kardashian, just to name a few. This year, the pandemic certainly disrupted my normal celebrity selfie streak, but the rise of virtual concerts and meet-and-greets also allowed me to score once-in-a-lifetime experiences with several of my favourite artists.

As I look back on the year’s camera roll and prepare for another year of being a ~professional fangirl~, read through the inside scoop on my best and worst (!) celeb encounters of 2020. I’m not sparing any details!

Best

Sidney Crosby

Let’s start with one of the highlights of my year, if not my entire life. Sidney Crosby is my all-time fave hockey player and I’ve had so many close encounters with him, to the point my friends and I were nearly convinced I was cursed. I actually did get a car selfie with Sid a few years ago (hi, 2015 Angela!) at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice facility, but I was determined to get a full body/posed photo and say more than just “Hi, can I get a picture?!?”

In February pre-pandemic, when we were all more optimistic about everything in life, I declared it was about time I get that photo. I dragged my up-for-anything work friend on an adventure to the team hotel (which is very well documented) in Toronto. By some MIRACLE, we were there for no more than 15 minutes before the heavens—that is, the elevator doors—opened and I got my moment with Sidney! He was very gracious with both of us and I was able to quickly tell him how much this meant to me.

As you can imagine, seeing Sidney made attending the game later that much sweeter. I’m looking forward to the return of the NHL in 2021 — and fingers crossed that my Penguins make it into the playoffs! 🐧

Julia Michaels and JP Saxe

Though you probably know these two talented artists together from their critically-acclaimed hit duet “If The World Was Ending” (unknowingly-yet-perfectly timed for the events of 2020), I’m a long-time fan of both Julia Michaels and JP Saxe individually.

Julia, a songwriter to the stars, has been a writing inspiration of mine for years, and I know JP through the Toronto music industry circles. It was fitting, then, that I ended up meeting them both on the same night!

In January, after it was confirmed JP and Julia were dating (how adorable!), I saw Julia post that she was with JP as he rehearsed for a show that night in Toronto. I got to the venue early enough to catch them both heading to a pre-show dinner and they could not have been kinder!

I saw Julia first and it was so cool to snap a few selfies with her and chat about her beautiful lyrics and headlining show in Toronto just two months prior.

Shortly after, I caught up with JP and complimented his Raptors shirt—the perfect attire for a sold-out show in his hometown!

I’m so happy JP and Julia now have their first GRAMMY nomination together for this song. Song of the Year…no big deal! For more from Julia and JP, listen to their heartwarming new holiday single, “Kissin’ in the Cold.”

Ally Brooke

Meeting Fifth Harmony singer Ally Brooke this past year will always be memorable for two reasons: It was Ally’s first headlining tour and concert in Toronto, which is always a special show (ask any artist!), and it was my first meet-and-greet—just days before the March lockdown—where you had to use hand sanitizer before you went up to the musician. Thinking about sanitizer and other forms of PPE and physical distancing, it’s truly insane to consider how much will change within the live event industry once we start returning to “normal.”

On the bright side of things, Ally was an absolute sweetheart, spending several minutes talking with each fan at the M&G and even coming back out to take more photos and sign autographs for anyone who waited after the show. This was my second time meeting Ally after having interviewed Fifth Harmony early in their career, and she somehow remembered exact details about that day! It always strikes me when artists manage to remember details about fans and/or interviewers and it proves the appreciation and love often goes both ways.

Jessie Ware

This was my very first virtual meet-and-greet and I have to say that while nothing compares to face-to-face encounters, Jessie Ware knew how to make the most of the moment!

Taking place just days after the release of her smash album What’s Your Pleasure? (which you DEFINITELY need to listen to if you haven’t already), Jessie took the time to individually chat with around 100 newsletter subscribers about our favourite new tracks and any stories we wanted to share. We recalled meeting more than 5 years earlier at one of her first tour stops in Toronto, where she unsuccessfully tried to get me and a friend into a 19+ show (meeting her obviously more than made up for that!).

It warmed my little fangirl heart when she told me it was a pleasure to chat with me now that I was, as she sang, a “grown woman.” I’m always happy to be recognized as an OG fan by my faves! 💖

For this being a one-minute interaction, we managed to squeeze in a lot of conversation—and a screenshotted selfie. I was especially excited to hear that Jessie looks forward to touring again and coming back to Toronto, once it’s safe to do so of course. I’ll be there, back in the front row like I always am!

Sam Smith

I saved one of the very best and most special celeb interactions for last! As I’ve blogged about before, Sam Smith is by far my favourite artist and simply one of the nicest humans ever. I saw them in person in December 2019 at the Los Angeles stop of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour and had several great run-ins with Sam and their band throughout my weekend trip. Who could’ve predicted our next conversation—and a bucket-list interview opportunity (!!)—would be over Zoom?!

To promote the release of their album Love Goes in October, Sam did a series of promo interviews, including a Virtual Celebrity Session with SiriusXM Hits1 and The Pulse. I won a virtual audience ticket and then submitted questions to be asked in a fan segment. Exactly two minutes before the event started, I got an email from the producers informing me I’d be coming on camera during the session to ask Sam one of my questions!

Ever since I became a fan in 2013, Sam has been a dream interview of mine; in fact, I’ve kept a Note in my phone with questions I would ask them if I ever got the chance. After they leaned into the screen and recognized who I was (Sam’s “Hey babe!” never gets old), Sam came through with an answer that was fantastic and funny (watch it here!). I’m so thankful for this!

Worst

Gotcha!

My only negative celebrity experiences of 2020 were the ones that didn’t happen, all thanks to Ms. Corona. I was really looking forward to finally meeting Tinashe, who is in my opinion one of the most underrated mainstream artists. I also missed my usual week of chaos at the Toronto International Film Festival, which ended up featuring celeb-less premieres for films starring the likes of Saiorse Ronan and Idris Elba. Those would’ve been two outstanding selfies!

Looking ahead, it’s anyone’s guess what 2021 has in store, or when it will be safe to resume attending concerts, festivals, red carpets and other events where we can mingle with our favourite stars. In the meantime, bring on the virtual events! My social calendar and camera roll are wide open. 😃