Joseph McGrail-Bateup, a 58-year-old professional air conditioner cleaner and honorary town crier from Canberra, Australia, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's loudest person. His shout of the word "now" reached 122.4 decibels, surpassing the previous record of 121.7 dB set by Northern Ireland schoolteacher Annalisa Flanagan in 1994, who had yelled "quiet."
Record-Breaking Shout Details
The record attempt took place on May 2 in a Canberra radio studio, where a professional acoustic engineer measured the shout in the presence of witnesses. The audio files were submitted to Guinness World Records, which announced the achievement on June 23, 2026. McGrail-Bateup's shout is comparable in volume to a chainsaw, a jet aircraft taking off, or an ambulance siren at close range.
McGrail-Bateup explained that training for such a record is nearly impossible. "There's no way that you can actually practice for it. You have to just keep it for the day, especially with the world record attempt," he said. "It took me seven attempts just for one word, which was the word 'now,' and my voice was shot for the next couple of days as well. It was husky. It was terrible. So no, you can't really practice for it. But it's a lot of fun when you're doing it."
Distinction Between Loudest Man and Loudest Person
McGrail-Bateup considers himself the world's loudest man rather than the loudest person, acknowledging that Flanagan retains her title as the loudest woman. "I'm pleased that she gets to keep her record. So she's still the loudest woman in the world and I'm the loudest male in the world," he noted. There was no previous separate record for the loudest man.
Journey to Town Crier
McGrail-Bateup discovered Flanagan's record while searching Guinness World Records for town crying achievements. He was appointed the official town crier of Canberra in 2017, an honorary and part-time role established by the local government, which he describes as "a bit of fun." His town crier name is Lord Joseph. His duties include making announcements at community events, school fetes, and car shows.
The role granted him membership in the Ancient and Honorable Guild of Australian Town Criers, a competitive professional organization dedicated to preserving members' historic and ceremonial roles. In 2024, he won a guild competition with the loudest "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez" at 98 decibels, a traditional command for silence and attention before a proclamation.
Previous World Record and Future Outlook
This is not McGrail-Bateup's first world record. In 2019, he set a speed record for an archer shooting 10 arrows, completing the feat in 60.03 seconds, shaving a fraction of a second off a record that had stood since 2015. However, nine months later, a 7-year-old boy broke that record by 11.4 seconds.
McGrail-Bateup expressed no interest in reclaiming the archery record or in holding onto his shouting record. "If someone beats me, that's fantastic," he said. "Records are meant to be broken."
