In a remarkable feat of fandom, Bilal Ilyas Jhandir, a 20-year-old from Pakistan, has officially secured a place in the Guinness World Records for identifying the most Taylor Swift songs from their lyrics in just one minute. The self-proclaimed “die-hard fan” broke the previous record of 27 by naming an impressive 34 songs, according to New York Post.
“I have been listening to Taylor Swift since my childhood. I have listened to each and every song of hers. I can identify almost any song of hers from the lyrics,” he proudly shared with Guinness World Records.
To achieve this remarkable accomplishment, Bilal had to recognise Swift’s songs from their opening lyrics, read aloud by a man without any accompanying music. Despite already being well-versed in the lyrics of all her songs, he dedicated 13 weeks to extensive preparation, even going so far as to recite them in his sleep.
Owing to his extensive preparation, Bilal characterised his record-breaking attempt as “an easy task,” acknowledging, however, that the complexity increased as the lyrics were spoken by a man rather than sung by Swift.
Describing the effort as the “best way on Earth” to express his “extraordinary love” for Swift, Bilal gushed over the pop sensation, who herself recently clinched a Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing music tour with her Eras Tour.
“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. 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 enthused.
Before this Swift milestone, Bilal had already broken three other world records, including identifying the most animals from their sounds in one minute in 2021, and last year, identifying the most Justin Bieber songs from their lyrics in one minute.
“This record is my favorite of all of them. Being called a ‘Certified Swiftie’ or ‘Officially Amazing Swiftie’ is such an incredible feeling,” the fan expressed, adding that he considers this accomplishment his chart-topper.
Notably, Bilal, a college student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, has been listening to the Red artist since the age of 13 and declared Folklore to be an “absolute masterpiece,” easily naming it as his favourite album.
