A Danish father has secured a new Guinness World Record after composing and releasing a song that says “I love you” in 521 different languages.
Philip Halloun achieved the feat with a music single created as a birthday gift for his son, William, surpassing the previous record of 398 languages set by Suneet Haran of India in 2024.
Halloun, 41, used his own multilingual background along with translation tools to assemble the track, which was timed to mark William’s first birthday. The total of 521 languages was chosen to reference the date 21 May.
How Philip Halloun created the 521 language song
The musician, who speaks Danish, English, Arabic, and some Hebrew, French, and Chinese, said the project was designed to be a lasting personal milestone for his child.
“I wanted [his birthday gift] to be something that showed devotion,” he said. “And setting a goal to achieve, no matter how hard it would seem, for him to remember forever. The melody on the guitar is a little piece I wrote for him before he was born, and I used to play it for him always before and after he was born.”
Halloun, who is expecting a second child with his wife Dina, has spent two decades writing and producing music, including work for artists around the world in multiple languages. He said that experience did not make the record attempt straightforward.
“The most difficult part was making sure the pronunciation of all the languages was correct and recording them all to sound fluid and harmonious,” Philip said. “As the lyrics of the song is ‘I love you’ in all the languages of the world, my message to him is that I will always love him no matter what, in every language.”
While the track was dedicated to William, Halloun said he also wanted it to reach a wider audience.
“I wish for the song and the record to serve as a manifesting mantra, to bring love into the hearts of those who need it the most,” he added. “It feels great [to break the record], I grew up reading the Guinness World Records books with my brother, and it’s an honour to be part of the legacy.”
This isn’t the first time a dad has broken a GWR while doing something for his kids, either. Back in November, a Swedish father went viral after cramming 81 matches into his nose in order to impress his children.
