A good night?
Better if wished by the persuasive voice of a celebrity.
For example, that of the British singer-songwriter Harry Styles who lent his voice for the
'Sleep Stories' series by Calm
, the app dedicated to meditation and relaxation.
"Tonight - says Styles in the episode 'Dream With Me - I will help you be transported to sleep with reassuring words and relaxing music".
Then follows a story of about 40 minutes.
Styles is just one of the many VIPs who have lent their voices in what is a trend of the moment, that is to leave behind the stress of a day, of life in general or simply to be pampered to the sound of a known voice.
From Calm to Headspace to Netflix, HBO Max or Amazon's Audible, the so-called world of 'mindfulness' has decided to take advantage of the talent of celebrities to bridge the gap between self-actualization and Hollywood entertainment.
And so Headspace released its new show Headspace Guide to Meditation on Netflix while last year signed a deal with Kevin Hart to produce content under the principle that laughter is the best medicine.
Calm, on the other hand, in addition to Styles, also for the Sleep Stories series has made use of the voices of actor and producer Matthew McConaughey (The Gentlemen, 2020), Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Laura Dern, Eva Green.
Last year she debuted on HBO Max with the ten-episode series A World of Calm with narratives by, among others, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Keanu Reeves while Audible turned to Nick Jonas, Tony Shalhoub or Sean "Diddy" Combs for the his bedtime stories.
Calm was launched in 2012 by Alex Tew and Michael Acton Smith as a meditation focused app.
But, as the Hollywood Reporter reports, when usage figures showed a surge at bedtime, it was decided to launch the Sleep Stories series.
And the choice has rewarded since the platform is now worth over two billion dollars and with around four million paying users.
A year marked by events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and a tense political landscape in the United States also gave the impetus.
In 2020, downloads doubled and users listened to over a billion minutes of meditation, stories and soundscapes.