Teenager's nine-hour concert in 140 languages sends powerful climate change message

A young singer used the universal language of music to break a record while sending a passionate message.

Suchetha Satish, 18, from India, performed a 'Concert for Climate' where she sang in an impressive 140 different languages to raise awareness about climate change.

Her special concert took place during an event held at the Indian Consulate Auditorium in Dubai, breaking a record for most languages sung in a concert.

A feat of endurance that took nine hours to complete, her performance was a testimony that music can cross not only language barriers, but also socio-cultural differences.

This is not Suchetha’s first successful attempt for the same record, as she bagged it with 120 languages in August 2021, right after she turned 16 – a minimum age requirement for the same category of attempts. 

That attempt was soon outdone by another talent from India named Manjushree Vasant Oak who topped up the previous record with just one other language.

“I have been chasing that record in the past decade, obviously, learning how to sing in all these languages is not something you could learn overnight,” said Suchetha.

The guidelines of the record say that each song must be at least two minutes long, and allow for a five minute break each hour.

“I have understood more about cultural and ethnic variations in each continent to a large extent which I might not have been exposed to as a young student,” she added.

Singing in Bhutanese evoked a special feeling to Suchetha as she has visited Bhutan recently. She also quoted a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts around the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which means ‘The World Is One Family’.

“The world may be separated by borders, but music transcends these and Music Beyond Borders has been my motto,” added Suchetha.

“I have learnt about the many different genres of music, world over, and even touched tribal songs in lands far away from me.”

Read this story in Arabic here and check out more Arabic content here.

Singing for nine hours was no easy feat. Suchetha described it like ‘running a double marathon’. It needed improvement in physical stamina as well as vocal strength, musical skills and honing of linguistic skills. It required a lot of practice and sacrifices. But the clarity of the goal and the support she had were always the carrot that kept her on.

Guinness World Records is a global challenge. Media from many countries have been featuring me since I took part in an official attempt. I sincerely hope my plea for climate preservation resonates in the global community and also that the future artists continue to keep this momentum going so that the world becomes a better place to live in. - Suchetha

Want more? Follow us on Google News and across our social media channels to stay up-to-date with all things Guinness World Records! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snapchat Discover.

Don't forget to check out our videos on YouTube and become part of our group chat by following the Guinness World Records WhatsApp channel.

Still not had enough? Click here to buy our latest book, filled to the brim with stories about our amazing record breakers.