Ewaoluwa Olatunji, known professionally as Ewa Cole and dubbed the “Queen of Afro-Solk”, has made history by setting a new record for the longest marathon of singing Christmas songs.
The 29-year-old singer from Lagos, Nigeria, achieved this feat by singing continuously for a total of 31 hours from 27-28 December, making her the first holder of this record.
Ewa stated that she took on this challenge to promote peace and unity and to inspire confidence in young people, saying, “Since childhood, I’ve been preparing for this moment. I was often put on stage to lead and perform at my school’s Christmas carols.”
Throughout her record attempt, Ewa sang classic Christmas songs such as “Deck the Halls”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “Silent Night” and numerous others, without repeating any song within a one-hour period.
As with other ‘longest marathon’ record attempts, Ewa was allowed a five-minute rest break after every continuous hour of singing, which could be accumulated if not taken. These were the only times that she could eat, sleep, or use the bathroom.
The prolonged singing sessions took a toll on Ewa, as she battled fatigue, throat pain, and stomach problems, especially between the eighth and 12th hours. She also experienced throat pain that worsened to an unbearable level after 20 hours, but she persevered through the pain and did not let it affect her ability to sing.
Despite the physical challenges she faced during the attempt, Ewa, who also works as a software engineer and runs her own clothing brand, is thrilled to have earned the Guinness World Records title and is “still buzzing with excitement”.
Having created her own music genre called “Afro-Solk”, which is a fusion of Afro-pop, soul, and folk music, Ewa is excited to see where her singing career goes from here. She expressed her excitement and said, “It’s incredible to consider all the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. I can’t wait to explore and make the most of them!”
