Growing up in Inverurie, Harry Moir has been used to being recognised for One Thing.
Known as the “Harry Styles boy”, bumping into the girls who chased him around at school and getting stopped for his star-like looks has become a familiar story of his life.
As It Was, it was only a few weeks ago a train ticket inspector stopped the 18-year-old to ask if he was in fact the Harry Moir.
While he said the similarity to Harry Styles has faded more now with his shortening hair, he said: “People do come up to me and say, ‘You look like Harry Styles’ and I tell them ‘Well let me tell you a little story’.”
It all started with an ‘old fashioned letter’
Mr Moir’s time in the spotlight began when he was six years old with a full head of curls and it all started with a letter from his mum, Jill Moir.
On hearing the newly-formed One Direction at the time were coming to Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre to perform the X Factor concert, she took action.
Mrs Moir said: “I wrote a letter, an old fashioned letter, and just said, ‘Look my wee boy is six and he looks like Harry. Is there any chance that you might be able to get a signed photo?’
“I stuck it in the postbox and never thought anything of it. Then a few days later, the phone rang.
“It was someone from the Exhibition Centre asking if they could see a photo of Harry so that they could just compare the likeness. And then it just went mad after that.”
When invited to meet the star in Aberdeen, the family decided not to take Mr Moir’s older sister Hannah. It has become something she has never let them forget.
Mrs Moir said: “They were just on X Factor at the time so they were just reality TV stars. We just took Harry because we thought ‘No he’s the one that likes Harry and he’s the one that likes One Direction.’
“But if we’d known back then what we know now. She doesn’t let us forget that ever, the day that we didn’t take Hannah to meet Harry Styles.”
Donuts, photoshoots and texts to the star’s mum
Mr Moir said he remembers quite a lot from meeting Harry Styles and the band but especially the donuts after the photoshoot.
“I remember we went running around the hotel looking for some food,” he said.
“We were in this bar and there was food on the table and then there was five donuts.
“So I took one and then four of them took the other one and I think it was Zayn, he didn’t get one.”
Speaking about Harry in particular, Mr Moir said: “He was very a nice chap, I’ll give him that. He was very kind, very funny.”
When asked if he thinks Harry remembers him, Mr Moir laughingly said: “I should hope so.”
Mrs Moir added: “Harry Styles was lovely, a really, really friendly, welcoming, just down to earth young lad.
“He said, ‘I can’t believe how much you look like me’. He said ‘My mum wants a photo of you’ so he had to take a photo on his mobile and send it to his mum.
“So never did we think that just by writing a letter we would have ended up meeting them all but we did and Harry’s had to live with it ever since.”
Dream to play with Harry on stage
From there things happened “very quickly”. Mr Moir was in the Evening Express and several national papers who spent a day at his school, Strathburn Primary, and was on a TV show.
“It was quite an experience,” he added.
At the time, he said he just excited to have a few days off school for it all but looking back on the time, it was “quite a strange” experience to have at six years old.
Mrs Moir said: “It was exciting. It was good fun. It did get a wee bit overwhelming when all social media started. But yes, it was a mad few weeks.”
Not long after this whole whirlwind and encouraged by his dad, Mr Moir started learning to play guitar after breaking his drum kit.
Buying his first instrument for £20 from Cash Converter, he currently owns 10 electric guitars which he regularly plays.
Now a fitness, health and exercise student at Nescol, Mr Moir said he was not entirely sure what he wants to do next.
However, he and the family remain firm fans of Mr Styles. Mr Moir admitted it would be a dream of his to play with the artist.
“I think anyone that plays or likes music would want to do something like that for sure,” he said.
“I do like his solo stuff, he’s got good songs. He’s got a song called Kiwi and it’s a good guitar song.”
When approached for a comment, Harry Styles’s management said the star is currently on tour and unavailable. Probably just a Sign of the Times.
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