Canberra’s herald achieves historic feat and enters the Guinness Book of Records with the most powerful scream ever recorded By Janderson Luiz
4 min read
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A new name has been entered into the book of world records. Joseph McGrail-Bateup, an Australian professional, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the loudest person on the planet. He reached an impressive 122.4 decibels when shouting the word “now”, setting a new standard for human vocal strength.
New global sound brand surpasses previous record by a small margin
The remarkable feat of McGrail-Bateup, a 58-year-old resident of Canberra, Australia, happened last week. His cry of “now” reached 122.4 decibels, a sound intensity that surpassed the previous record by almost a decibel. The old benchmark, at 121.7 dB, belonged to Annalisa Flanagan, a teacher from Northern Ireland, who had set it in 1994 with a resounding “silence”.
The sound intensity produced by the Canberra herald is comparable to significant noise in the everyday environment. The 122.4 decibel sound aligns with the range of a running chainsaw, the roar of a jet plane during takeoff, or the siren of a nearby ambulance or police car. This underlines the extraordinary vocal capacity demonstrated by the new record holder.
From air conditioning maintenance to the distinction of official herald
In addition to his day job as an air conditioning cleaning professional, Joseph McGrail-Bateup has a unique honorary role. He has served as the official herald of the Australian capital, Canberra, since 2017. This role, established by the local government, is part-time and he describes it as a “fun form” of community service. His honorary title is Lord Joseph.
His calling to be a herald propelled him to become competitively loud. McGrail-Bateup makes announcements at a variety of events, including school parties, car shows and community celebrations, using her powerful voice to attract public attention. He explained that he came across Flanagan’s record while unsuccessfully searching for herald-related feats in Guinness World Records.
Unusual preparation and the valorization of broken records
The quest for the world record did not involve conventional training for McGrail-Bateup, according to his own account. He said that “there’s no way to train for this”, highlighting that it depended on his best performance on the day of the attempt. It took him seven attempts to achieve the perfect shout of the word “now”, an effort that left his voice hoarse for two days, describing the sensation as “terrible”.
McGrail-Bateup is keen to differentiate her achievement from that of Annalisa Flanagan. He considers himself the loudest man in the world, while recognizing Flanagan as the loudest woman. Previously, there was no specific record for “loudest man”. He expressed satisfaction that the Irish professor could keep her title, and he his.
The tradition of heralds and the passion for breaking brands
Joseph McGrail-Bateup’s membership in the Ancient and Honorable Guild of Australian City Heralds, a professional organization that aims to preserve the historical roles of its members, reinforced his competitive side. In 2024, he won a guild competition with the loudest “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez”, reaching 98 dB, a traditional greeting used to call for silence before an announcement.
The new world record was recorded on May 2, in a radio studio in Canberra, in the presence of witnesses and the supervision of a professional acoustic engineer. The documents were submitted to Guinness World Records, which made the feat official last Friday.
This is actually the second time that McGrail-Bateup has broken a global mark. In 2019, he had set an archery speed record, shooting 10 arrows in 60.03 seconds. This record, however, was broken nine months later by a boy of just 7 years old. McGrail-Bateup demonstrated no interest in regaining the archery record, nor in defending his title of loudest shout. For him, “records exist to be broken”, a philosophy he embraces with enthusiasm.
The impact of 122.4 decibels on human hearing
Understanding the 122.4 decibel scale goes beyond simply comparing it to everyday noises; This sound intensity represents a threshold where prolonged or even brief exposure can pose significant risks to hearing. While sounds below 85 decibels are generally considered safe for long periods, each 3 decibel increase represents a doubling of sound intensity. This means that 122.4 dB is at a level that can cause pain and immediate and irreversible hearing damage.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and other hearing health entities warn of the dangers of exposure to noise above 120 dB, even for short periods, as they can cause acute acoustic trauma. Joseph McGrail-Bateup’s feat is impressive, but it serves as a vivid reminder of the power of sound and the importance of protecting our ears in excessively noisy environments. The ability to produce such volume is a demonstration of vocal strength, but also an example of a sound that requires caution in exhibition contexts.
