Thousands sing from home for Koolulam global chorus

With coronavirus canceling its mass singing events, Koolulam went online and drew more than 5,000 people from 66 countries to participate in singing a global medley.

Coldplay’s “Fix You” was sung by the young and old, from their homes and backyards, in an airplane cockpit, from offices and bedrooms, wearing headphones and more than one bright yellow shirt.

“We got videos from Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Australia, from all over the world,” said Michal Shahaf, a Koolulam co-founder and the group’s CEO. “I’ll tell you the truth, I could never have guessed we would get so far and I’m so glad we reached so many people.”

Koolulam is known for creating mass singing events, with hundreds or thousands of people gathered for several hours, learning different parts of one song and recorded in the space of one evening.

With the continuing coronavirus, those events are off the calendar.

But the Koolulam team persevered, choosing a song that would bring hope and connect to the current situation, said Shahaf, adding that the Koolulam team funded this particular endeavor themselves. In the past, they have covered their costs through private funders.

“The song talks about that even in the darkest moments, we can still see the light and this is what we’re trying to say,” she said. “This situation is worldwide, everyone is suffering, but you can still find places and things that show us the way. They may have taken our freedom but not our heart or love or friendships, or the things that matter. That’s what we tried to show in the video.”

The Koolulam team came up with the plan while they were all in quarantine at home in Israel, after an event in Mexico was canceled just three hours before showtime.

They instructed participants to choose one of three parts — soprano, alto or baritone — and then taught each part with a video. Participants had about a week to send in their videos with a message about their personal hopes for this period of the corona pandemic, whereupon Koolulam edited them together.

The Coldplay song is a particular favorite of the Koolulam team because of the band’s inspiring example of artists trying to connect people through music, said Shahaf.

“It would be a great honor if they share it with their fans,” she said. “We would love that.”

This probably won’t be the last time that Koolulam organizes a global effort of this sort, said Shahaf.

“The whole meaning of Koolulam is getting together, and I think it will take a long time until we can physically meet,” she said. “For now, we’ll keep doing what we can.”