Ricky! Shriek! We love you!

TORONTO -- There's just no denying the Ricky Martin magic.

After 10,000 fans swarmed Yonge St. on Friday to see the Puerto Rican singing sensation at Sunrise Records, close to 1,000 more hit MuchMusic yesterday afternoon to see his live interview.

Some fans camped out on Queen St. overnight just to get one brief glimpse of their hero.

Victoria Peters and Chantelle Gallant flew in from New Brunswick at 6:45 a.m. yesterday to see if they could catch a glimpse of Ricky. They did better than that. Peters and Gallant were two of the 80 lucky fans who received wristbands at random and were able to stand mere feet away from their idol during the interview.

"My friends and family said 'Don't bother, you won't get anywhere near him,'" Peters said just before Martin arrived. "I said 'Don't defy me' and look where I am now."

Peters and Gallant weren't the only ones who took a flight to Toronto to see Ricky.

Lucy Martins, Billy-Jo Sebastian and her brother John Sebastian flew in from Mexico City. "This is the trip of a lifetime," said Billy-Jo.

"I just want to see him. It's worth every penny."

Fans waited anxiously for the singer to arrive. They pushed up as close to the building as they could, and cheered every time the speakers played a clip from his hit song Living La Vida Loca.

When Ricky arrived just after 4 p.m. the crowd erupted, frantically waving posters, trying to catch his eye. Dressed in a long-sleeved grey shirt and black dress pants, the singer flashed a grin at the crowd and waved.

Inside, the chosen few fans were just as excited as Ricky took his seat on a leather sofa amid white pillar candles, white roses and hanging chandeliers.

Interviewer Bill Welychka asked Martin about touring, performing at the World Music Awards, and stardom. "Hopefully this is only the beginning," Martin told Welychka.

"I want to come back to Canada and the U.S. in 10 years and still do music and be accepted and respected."

Martin is slated to begin a North American tour in the fall but there's no word yet on a Toronto show.

Martin even gave one lucky girl a kiss on the cheek. Young Anna Stasi was the awestruck recipient.

"He came up to me and I said: 'I can't take this, I have to hug you,'" Stasi said afterward, pointing to the spot on her cheek where he kissed her.

"It's a dream come true, there are no words to it. It's the best day of my life."