Canadian musician and producer Gonzales is shown in Paris on Sunday during his attempt to set a world record for longest solo concert. (Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images)

Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, producer and rapper Gonzales has set a new solo concert record after completing a marathon, 27-plus hour piano performance in Paris.

Dozens of fans cheered Gonzales on at the Ciné 13 Théâtre in the Paris neighbourhood of Montmartre, while countless others were able to take in his performance via streaming from his website.

Armed with more than 300 songs, he began his record-setting gig at midnight Sunday, sitting at an upright piano with a massive digital clock tracking his progress nearby.

Gonzales had assembled a wide-ranging playlist that veered from his own compositions to film scores, TV themes, Gershwin, Beethoven and Neil Young. It also included pop hits by Britney Spears and the Bee Gees that he re-arranged especially for the occasion. Each song could be played only once.

For the near-continuous Guinness World Records attempt, he was permitted a 30-second pause between each song and one 15-minute break after each three-hour set.

The performer also jazzed up his performance periodically by getting a shave onstage; singing, talking and answering questions from a videographer; changing into and out of striped pyjamas on Sunday and eating a bowl of cereal while playing.

Overall, the performance spanned 27 hours, three minutes and 44 seconds, according to French media reports.

The previous record was set by India's Prasanna Gudi, who performed raga for 26 hours and 12 minutes in December.

Gonzales told Agence France-Presse that to prepare for his world record attempt, he consulted with experts who helped him adapt his "sleep patterns and food requirements." He said he also consulted an acupuncturist for his hands.

"I've read the Guinness book and I find this combination of the poetic and the useless irresistible. I remember a guy who put 143 cigarettes in his mouth: it was purposeless, but he was the only one to do it!" he told AFP prior to the show.

The Paris-based Gonzales, whose real name is Jason Beck, was born in Montreal.

Aside from his solo career, which includes releasing his sixth album, Soft Power, in 2008, he is also known for collaborating with singer Feist for her 2003 album Let it Die and 2007's The Reminder.

He is also a longtime collaborator of Canadian rapper Peaches and has worked with recording artists such as Jamie Lidell and Jane Birkin.