Local songstress heals through music
Find Me Singing is available on streaming platforms and a hardcopy of the CD can be purchased at the Open Skies church in Kloof.
LAUREN Cullen, a Kloof resident and counsellor, has been singing for as long as she can remember and, with the launch of her debut album, her powerful voice is now available for anyone to listen to.
“I have always loved to sing and I have been in the church and school choir most of my life, but I never had enough confidence to stand out or sing a solo,” she said.
Lauren said she found her confidence through singing with the church worship team, which led her to join the church band, 24 Skies.
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The 31-year-old mother and wife works as a counsellor at Open Skies, a church-based organisation that believes in changing people’s lives through Jesus Christ.
Lauren has been with the church as a counsellor since her matric year at St Marys DSG, Kloof.
Her debut album, Find Me Singing, is a project she worked on for nine months and it was released in November this year.
“I want to uplift and heal people with my music. I chose the title, Find Me Singing, because everyone who knows me knows that I am always humming a hymn.
Lauren is a strong believer that there is a song for everything. “Music has a way to bring you out of a difficult situation and have hope for a better future,” she said.
The fifth track in the album, Never Left You, is dedicated to anyone who might be dealing with pain or loss.
“I wrote the song in two days. There was so much that I wanted to pour out and it just flowed. We had just been through a rough period, my husband lost his dad to cancer, my dad was in hospital and many of our friends and family had been affected and experienced loss due to Covid-19,” said Lauren.
According to the songstress, the song affirms her favourite scriptures, Deuteronomy 31:8 and Isaiah 9:6, which speak about God being a great counsellor.
“Sometimes, when you don’t have the right words to say, music always helps you communicate how you truly feel,” she added.
This album is a local, collaborative masterpiece from the recording which was done at the Open Skies studios. The cover was shot at Camp Orchids in Hillcrest by a local photographer, her hair and make up was styled by one of Lauren’s good friends.
Lauren’s five favourite things:
Song: Hillsong’s Desert Song
Favourite thing about Kloof: I love the people, this neighbourhood feels like a typical hometown where everyone knows everyone.
Book: A novel by Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love. This is a historical romance novel set in the 1850s Gold Rush in California. The story is inspired by the Book of Hosea from the Bible, and its central theme is the redeeming love of God towards sinners.
Food: Popcorn
Movie: I love animation and Finding Nemo is my favourite.
Find Me Singing is available on streaming platforms and a hardcopy of the CD can be purchased at the Open Skies church in Kloof on request. Contact Lauren via email at laurencullen@gmail.com.
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