Vocal Curation Team

Given all that's happening around us, we wanted to put together something that soothes the overwhelming emotions that we're all experiencing. This month we're bringing To the Beat back in an effort to highlight you, the creators, who lift us up when we're feeling down. Your stories have made this playlist possible, with songs that remind us to dance, that help us blow off some steam, that make us hopeful, that make us think of better days, that we dedicate to those we love, and so much more.

We've quickly become huge fans of Sierra Vandervort. Her energy and positivity shine through all of her stories, inspiring us and other creators to live a more mindful life. From lunar studies and meditation to stories about the best ways to uncover a city's true charm—she's given us plenty of stories to choose from when it comes to picking a favorite. Sierra has also already impressed our Challenge judges for Locals Only, scoring second place with her story, "A Local’s Walk Through New Orleans’ Hippest Neighborhood." We were thrilled to learn a bit more about her! Enjoy her Creator Spotlight below.

Have you ever scrolled through Instagram to see that Vocal shared another creator’s story? Or maybe you were reading our Staff Picks or Vocal Verified roundups, and you wondered to yourself, “How do I get my story featured?” Every creator has been there—after all, isn’t that what we all want? To be recognized for what we create and have more people see our work?

New year, new beats! We're excited to kick off 2020 with another round of all the songs you loved this month. To the Beat is back with everything from oldies that remind us of how much has changed during this past decade, to some Grammy winners who didn't fail to impress.

Leigh Hooper has been a Vocal creator for a year and a half now. You may recognize her from her pop culture insights, or reflections on life, or her candid anecdotes and poetry. We’ve been a fan of Leigh’s for a while, but she really caught our attention with her new series, “Tunes To Get Grooving To” on Beat. We decided to get to know a bit more about her and her creative journey—and we can’t wait for you to meet her too.

To the Beat is back with a roundup curated from all of the stories you shared in the month of December.