1) Two is better than one when it comes to dance and violin: ‘It’s the combination of the two that makes me come alive. When I’m just dancing or playing the violin, it’s not the same. But when I get to perform and do both, I feel like I glow. I get ignited inside.’
2) Her blend of music and performance comes naturally: ‘I took all my favourite things and brought them together to create what I now do. I combined fun, crazy costumes with electronic dance music, violin and dancing… all these things you normally don’t see together. The moves come naturally when I play – I just listen and feel the music, then translate that into movement. It’s a hodgepodge of the things I love.’
3) No journey to success is complete without challenges: ‘The toughest part was suffering from self-doubt, and the fear of running out of ideas. So I kept telling myself to enjoy what I do and remind myself I started this to fulfil my passion.’
4) The message behind Shatter Me is very close to her heart: ‘It came from my personal experience of feeling trapped and depressed, and going through an eating disorder. The theme is very much one of self-discovery and breaking free.’
5) She makes an effort to ensure her gigs are nothing short of captivating: ‘I want to entertain and impress people, for them to smile, laugh and have fun. Live performances are definitely more powerful than music videos. Mine exude a lot of energy; they feel inspiring and powerful.’
Lindsey Stirling has come a long way. Just five years ago, she was ousted from America’s Got Talent despite her roof-raising eclectic performance, a mix of electronic dance music played on the violin and theatrical moves accentuated by flamboyant costumes. Rejected but not defeated, the doe-eyed musician went on to release her eponymous debut album in 2012, featuring ‘Crystallize’, a track that rose to become one of the most popular videos on YouTube that year.
Now, she’s sitting pretty with 6 million subscribers and a sophomore hit album, Shatter Me, out last year. Oh, and Stirling was recently featured in Forbes’ list of ‘30 Under 30 in Music: The Class of 2015’. How’s that for a comeback?
Here's five things about the the dynamic musician.