The music and entertainment industries focus heavily on image. It’s been like this for a long time; it seems that appearance and visual branding catch the public’s interest much more than talent, personality, or personal beliefs.
Image is also heavily curated to catch as much attention as possible from the public– so many things are done just for the sake of shock value, to get people talking and engaging on social media. Throughout the history of music, there are countless examples of artists changing their image, their style of music and creative expression, and even compromising their morals in order to capture the attention of the public.
Singer/songwriter Salwa-Lauren would like you to know that this isn’t the only way that artists can be heard– it’s possible to express yourself and be appreciated while holding fast to your morals and values. Her ICTV Network, a streaming platform, based in Ontario, Canada, focuses on bringing people together to share truly meaningful, high-quality content that values and upholds people’s beliefs and talents.
Salwa-Lauren herself is an accomplished artist with an impressive résumé. She’s studied classical vocals and piano, holds a B.A. Hons degree in Jazz music, and has studied and performed pop vocals. She’s also the former vocal and percussion chair of The National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Great Britain, which allowed her to immerse herself in music and tour all over the UK and Europe.
She’s also produced soundtracks for Bollywood and Asian movies and TV advertisements. On her own as a singer/songwriter, she’s toured all over the world, including the UK, United States, Canada, Pakistan, and Europe– performing alongside superstars like Ed Sheeran, for audiences like the British government and Prince Charles. All this, while fighting for recognition as a young woman in a heavily male-dominated industry.
“I write songs with meaningful, thought-provoking lyrics to make people think and feel… if you write and perform from the heart, it will always be better,” she explains. Performing with sincerity, humility, and honesty are core beliefs for her as a musician that she stands by with every project she pursues.
Obviously, Salwa-Lauren’s years of experience and education have provided her with insight on the music industry that most people do not have– especially since she approaches her career with integrity, careful to create things that resonate with her beliefs.
As a result of this unique insight, she’s passionate about promoting ICTV Network and its vision: to represent and nurture true talent for an international platform, focusing on moral-based art.
One of ICTV Network’s latest ventures is a talent program called IC Star– comparable to programs like The Voice and The X Factor– on which Salwa-Lauren is a judge, along with noted musicians Humood Alkhudher from Kuwait, Ilyas Mao from Canada & Somalia, Najam Sheraz from Pakistan, and Mesut Kurtis, from Macedonia & Turkey.
IC Star is a perfect example of Salwa-Lauren’s belief in focusing on talent versus image, and it’s been wildly successful worldwide. The judges were faced with the daunting task of choosing just 32 finalists from a staggering sixty thousand applications that came from all over the world. The show itself is incredibly diverse, with the 32 finalists coming from 28 countries: Indonesia, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Zanzibar, Bosnia, Kosovo, Canada and many more.
While IC Star is a great example of the kind of entertainment people can expect from ICTV Network, it’s just one example among many other offerings, including music videos, entertainment programs, movies, documentaries and much more. The programming offered on this global platform is suitable for whole families, providing media that truly values ideas, morals, art, and culture, with modest female role model Salwa-Lauren at its helm.
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