Sabrina Bahsoon AKA Tube Girl is reflecting on her year (Picture: Sabrina Bahsoon)
The TikToker who became a viral sensation after filming herself dancing on the tube is reflecting on her ‘out of this world’ year.
Sabrina Bahsoon, who is now known around the world as Tube Girl, has amassed over 800,000 followers on TikTok and 28 million likes for dancing on the London Underground while the wind blows in her hair.
The 23-year-old filmed her first video on the Central Line in August, with no idea what would happen next.
‘I definitely did not expect [to go viral],’ the accidental influencer who grew up in Malaysia and but now lives in west London told the PA news agency.
‘I just posted that video for fun’.
In the clip, which itself has more than 10 million views, Sabrina dances along to David Guetta’s song Where Them Girls At featuring Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida. Sabrina captioned the video: ‘Being the friend who lives on the other side of the city so you gotta hype yourself up during the commute.’
It’s a situation many of us can relate to, but so few of us actually film ourselves dancing around on public transport in response.
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After the first viral clip, many more videos from Sabrina followed with songs by artists including Rihanna, Raye and Charli XCX. Using the windows in between Tube carriages as her personal wind machine became Sabrina’s MO.
Not even severe delays or suspended services or rising fares could stop Tube Girl this year, as her fame rose beyond the Underground and around the world.
‘They’re super empowering and they make you feel confident and like you’re that b*tch,’ Sabrina said about her videos.
But where did the ‘Tube Girl’ name come from, you ask? Well, it wasn’t Sabrina’s creation nor did it come from her followers.
Sabrina Bahsoon, known as Tube Girl, has taken the world by storm this year (Picture: Sabrina Bahsoon/PA)
It was actually her current manager who came up with the name when he got in touch with her as her social media page grew.
‘My manager reached out to me when I had 6,000 followers, after the second Tube Girl video,’ Sabrina said.
‘He said to me, “I was telling my friends that I was having a meeting with the Tube Girl and they were so excited”, and it sort of clicked in my head.
‘I hashtagged it on the rest of my videos and it kind of went from there.’
Sabrina’s trend has led to women worldwide emulating the trend by proudly dancing on often packed public transport.
‘I’m so glad other girls are having fun with me and getting out of their comfort zones and caring less about what others think,” she said.
‘Now I see the Tube Girls of Warsaw, of Paris, and it’s just insane.’
Her success on TikTok has introduced her into the world of celebrity and high fashion.
‘I met Raye recently and she was so lovely and appreciative of my videos,’ she said.
‘I’ve met Omar Apollo and Troye Sivan, who I’ve been watching for ages, so meeting all these people who are my idols in music is just wow.
‘I got to go backstage for a Valentino show [for Paris Fashion Week], which was an insane experience.
‘I think my biggest highlight so far is that everyone I’ve worked with has been so kind and so understanding and as a person that’s just got thrown into this, it can be very daunting.’
She also knows a thing or two about each Tube line in terms of lighting and wind opportunities.
Don’t be surprised if you see Sabrina with a leaf blower in the future (Picture: Sabrina Bahsoon/PA)
‘The Central line is my favourite because that is where the original video was filmed,’ she said.
‘And then I would say the Victoria line as that is another line I take a lot to go and see my friends.
‘The Bakerloo line is the worst for me because I just don’t like the lighting in there and it’s very rickety and hard to keep my balance.’
Piccadilly line trains are set to receive a revamp in 2025 which will see them get air-conditioning and walk-through carriages, which sounds great but could potentially lead to similar changes on other lines including the removal of the Tube windows, which are a key part of the Tube Girl trend.
However Sabrinna isn’t too fussed as she looks ahead to the future.
‘I think by 2025, I may not be doing Tube Girl videos on the Tube itself anymore – hopefully, I’m a rockstar by then,” she said.
‘I’m not too stressed; I feel like the wind is now not the most dependent thing, but my managers did gift me a leaf blower so I can have wind whenever and anywhere.
‘I think on the updated Tube, I would just get one of my friends to follow me around with the leaf blower.’
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There’s no stopping Tube Girl.