Russian pop star Alsou to break Guinness World Record for longest song

Russian pop singer Alsou is hoping to make it into the Guinness World Records by singing a 48-hour long cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. The song is part of a 5775, a collaboration between Russian rock musician Igor Sander and Russia-based news website Jewish Eyes to commemorate Rosh Hashanah on 24 September. A total of 5,775 people from across the globe will sing the song to celebrate the year 5775 in the Hebrew calendar.

Writing on her Instagram account, Alsou said: “It was a pleasure to participate in Igor Sander’s project, 5775. It is the longest song in the world with the highest number of participants.” The goal of the project is to set three Guinness world records based on the length of the song, the number of performers and their geographical spread.

Cohen’s song was selected due to its numerous biblical references such as the story of Samson and his betrayal by Delilah. A statement on 5775’s website reads: “Hallelujah is a Hebrew word, an exclamation meaning ‘Praise the Lord’.”

Alsou released her debut album in 1999 before shooting to fame for her song Solo, which won Russia second place at the Eurovision song contest in 2000.