A New Tampa family is trying to bring joy to people all over the Tampa Bay area, whether on the sidewalk or over a Zoom call.
"Everybody has different walks of life, but music is universal," Angel Hearst said.
Since high school, Angel and LaRon Hearst have been attached at the hip.
They sang together in their show choir when they were teenagers. Then they got hitched, and now they perform wherever they're invited.
"Years ago, when we first started singing together, we would do random, spontaneous — go to different places and just start singing," LaRon Heasrst said.
When the pandemic canceled all their planned gigs, they decided to go back to their roots.
"My wife was just like you should start playing outside, and I was like that's a good idea," LaRon said. "So, that means if I'm playing, you're singing."
So now, their venues include hospital entrances, driveways, or even a computer screen. They also bring their 4-year-old son, English, along for the ride.
"We're doing it in our neighborhood, and they're enjoying it we should see what other people are open to and see if they're open to us coming out," LaRon said.
LaRon started posting his neighborhood performances online, asking if anyone wanted to hear music on the streets. People jumped on the opportunity.
"We were at a birthday party this past weekend and did a song, and a lady was like, 'I'm crying behind my sunglasses,'" Angel said. "To hear someone say a song that you sung lifted my spirits and gave me hope is just priceless to me."
If you're interested in the Hearsts performing in your neighborhood, you can contact them through LaRon's website or their joint Facebook.
