A 20-year-old man from Pakistan has secured the title of the world’s number one Talyor Swift fan by setting a new Guinness World Record (GWR). Bilal Ilyas Jhandir, who calls himself a “die-hard fan” of the pop sensation, bagged a new record for identifying the most Taylor Swift songs from their lyrics within a minute. He correctly named a total of 34 songs and broke the previous record of 27, set by UK’s Dan Simpson in 2019. “I have been listening to Taylor Swift since my childhood. I am a die-hard fan of her,” the 20-year-old said, as per GWR.
The challenge involved recognising songs from a random list of Swift’s 50 best-selling tracks. Bilal Ilyas wore an eye mask in the submission video so he wouldn’t be accused of sneaking a peek. He was tasked with identifying each song from its beginning lyrics, which were read aloud by a human without any accompanying music.
“Here’s Bilal Ilyas Jhandir and his super knowledge of Taylor Swift lyrics which allowed him to set his record for most Swift songs identified by their lyrics in one minute,” GWR wrote on X while sharing the clip.
According to the official website, the 20-year-old practised for 13 weeks before the official test. This involved “extensive listening sessions,” which resulted in the songs becoming ingrained in his brain that he says he often recited lyrics aloud while sleeping. “I have listened to each and every song of hers. I can identify almost any song of hers from the lyrics,” he said.
Bilal Ilyas Jhandir decided to break this record as he believed it was the “best way on Earth” to demonstrate his “extraordinary love” for Taylor Swift. He said that the record attempt proved to be “an easy task,” although he admitted that having the lyrics spoken by a man, instead of sung by Taylor Swift, added an extra layer of difficulty.
The 20-year-old revealed that he has been listening to the pop singer since he was 13. “The thing I like the most about her is her way of writing out-of-this-world songs that always hit the bottom of my heart,” he said. “The authenticity in her songwriting, the emotional depth in her lyrics, and her ability to connect with listeners on a personal level are all the things that I admire most about Taylor Swift,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to GWR, this isn’t Bilal’s first world record. He holds two other titles, including the most animals identified from animal sounds in one minute (23) and the most Justin Bieber songs identified from lyrics in one minute (29).
“This record is my favourite of all of them. Being called a ‘Certified Swiftie’ or ‘Officially Amazing Swiftie’ is such an incredible feeling,” the 20-year-old said.
