LINDSEY STIRLING: The girl with the Violin.
An interview by Sarah Kidd.
In 2007 a young woman by the name of Lindsey Stirling created a YouTube channel which she called ‘lindseystomp’; fast forward 10 years and she now has over nine million subscribers.
Lindsey Stirling began to learn the violin at the tender age of five after her orchestral music loving parents started taking her to concerts and she noticed that “the violinists always got the solos and the melodies”. While Lindsey is also “slowly learning the piano”, her heart lies within the violin; to watch her play it’s as if it is almost an extension of her body itself.
She grew up in a modest household and due to her family’s financial limitations was told that she could either have violin lessons or dance as the family could not afford both. Lindsey chose the violin. Dance was never far from her mind however and a goal she was determined to achieve. Like most musical high school kids, she joined a band called ‘Stomp on Melvin’, and as part of this experience she wrote a solo violin rock song. It was that performance that won her the Spirit Award in Americas Junior Miss competition.
It was in 2010 that Lindsey started to become a household name after she reached quarter finalist position on season five of Americas Got Talent. Referred to as a ‘Hip Hop Violinist’ Lindsey fused together elements of dance, hip hop and dubstep within her violin pieces and had the judges on the edge of their seats. However in an attempt to take her performances to the next level she was ousted by Piers Morgan who stated that Lindsey was “not untalented, but you’re not good enough”. Devastated Lindsey left the competition and decided to promote herself on the internet instead, determined to stay true to herself and her chosen style.
After being contacted by cinematographer Devin Graham and collaborating with him to create her video ‘Spontaneous Me’ Lindsey has rapidly gained popularity across the world, often selling out venues on her tours. Just recently her show at the Eventim Apollo Theatre in London sold out, so Lindsey tweeted Piers Morgan with a personal invitation to attend Lindsey stating that “he responded immediately with a cheeky response saying that I was successful due to listening to his advice”
As someone who began her career path on social media [YouTube] Lindsey is unsure if this would be the right path for many aspiring artists today
“I am not sure what the future holds with social media. It was a lot easier to stand out when I first started on YouTube but now all the social media [platforms] have so many new accounts starting every day. I think it is essential to use and develop these platforms, but the game has definitely gotten a lot more competitive”
When living in such a day and age, standing out from the crowd can be difficult, even more so to remain there; however live performances such as her ‘Master of Tides’ [flash mob] event in conjunction with UE Boom are certainly the way to do it. Capturing hearts and minds everywhere Lindsey stated that the group “rehearsed for two days and threw it together”, something that is hard to believe when watching the caliber of the piece itself.
Lindsey loves making her videos and pushes the boundaries to come up with new and innovative ideas involving costumes and her playing – often including guest singers as well. Her favourite video to date is that of ‘Roundtable Rival’ “I love the dancing, the story, the choreography [and] the costumes. I just love theatricality. It was so much fun”
Her latest album Brave Enough released last year is an emotionally charged piece written by Lindsey while facing huge turmoil in her life:
“The album was inspired by loss. My best friend died unexpectedly about the same time I started writing. My father was also going through cancer treatment. My last two albums were written about the past, but this album was written about the journey that I was currently going through. As I experienced grief I was fighting not to close my heart but to stay open. The album starts with ‘Lost Girls’ which was about being lost emotionally and fighting the urge to go back to previous problems. The songs start cold and darker and throughout the album they get warmer and warmer both sonically and thematically”
Lindsey has already worked with some of the biggest names in the business; the ones who made an impression on her the most were that of Celine Dion “[she] was so powerful in how she commanded the stage” and Lzzy Hale (lead singer of Halestorm) “[she] was the biggest rockstar I’ve ever performed with. She had so much power and energy”.
Like any other musician, Lindsey is inspired by fellow artists; “I love Hayley Williams from Paramore, she is such a powerful performer and I was extremely inspired by Skrillex to do dubstep. I was also inspired by Amy Lee of Evanescence, and as a performer I am inspired by Pink”. She says she also really hopes to work with Hayley Williams in the future.
Lindsey endeavours to make every one of her shows all ages; a bold move in today’s music venues where the thought of children at an event could prompt many fans to avoid a show altogether; Lindsey insisting that “I always try to make all of my shows available to all ages. I love it when I see young kids at the show. I love seeing kids, families, grandparents, teenagers etc.”
As an artist who expends great amount of energy while performing one would think that in her downtime she would like to curl up quietly with a book, however one would be mistaken “I really like hiking! When I am on tour I like to ride bikes through the new city that I’m visiting”. But of course some more relaxed activities are also favoured “I also love scrap booking. I’ve been doing a ton of digital scrap booking!”
Lindsey will be performing in Auckland at the Powerstation next week, where many young fans will attend. When asked what advice she would give to aspiring young kiwi artists, Lindsey replied “My best advice is to never change your beliefs or standards in order to fit the mould of what you think you need to be”.
With several awards (including a Billboard Music Award), three albums and an autobiography (The Only Pirate at the Party) under her belt, where to now for Lindsey Stirling?
“I really want to have a Vegas show someday”
With her tenacity and sheer talent, there is no doubt that the name Lindsey Stirling will still be spelt out in those famous Vegas lights yet.
Lindsey Stirling will be performing live at Auckland’s Powerstation next Wednesday, 19th April. Limited tickets are still available from AAA Ticketing (But make sure you get in quick as there are only a few left)!