Lindsey Stirling
By Lara B.
What first comes to mind when you hear the word violin? For most people, they think of classical musicians, such as Mozart or Bach. For Lindsey Stirling, however, violin has a whole new meaning. Since her debut album Self-Titled in 2012, Stirling has been combining catchy violin with dubstep and EDM (electronic dance music). Stirling’s most recent album titled Shatter Me (2014) doesn’t fail to impress with complicated, creative songs that are impossible not to dance to.
Lindsey Stirling’s fame can mostly be credited to her YouTube channel, now with over 7 million subscribers. Stirling’s most popular video is of her song Crystallize, with over 132 million views. Shooting music videos for the majority of her first album Self-Titled (all but Anti-Gravity and Zi Zi’s Journey) helped publicize the violinist. Most of Stirling’s first videos were made with the help of cinematographer Devin Graham.
In 2010, Stirling was in the quarter-finals of America’s Got Talent, which was her first opportunity to make a name for herself. Since then, Stirling has been performing covers of popular music, as well as writing and recording her original songs.
In her debut album Self-Titled (2012), Stirling introduced playing violin in an electronic environment with songs such as Crystallize, Elements, Stars Align, Shadows and Moon Trance. Stirling’s second album Shatter Me adds a whole new dynamic to music that came from Self-Titled, with gorgeous music videos and energetic tracks, and Stirling features singers such as Lzzy Hale and Dia Frampton in her songs Shatter Me and We Are Giants. Popular hits on Shatter Me (other than We Are Giants and Shatter Me) include Beyond the Veil, Master of Tides, Roundtable Rival and Take Flight.
Lindsey Stirling’s YouTube shows off some of the violinist’s impressive pieces, and her second YouTube channel, titled Lindsey Time, shows her life on and off tour, allowing an inside glimpse of Stirling’s life to her many viewers. One of her earlier videos for Stirling’s dubstep piece Elements simply involved a “PVC-pipe fortress” with strips of wood set on fire for a portion of her video, sprinklers to create a rainy effect, and dreamy forest settings for a visually impressive display of the song. For her latest album, Stirling has amped up the caliber of her videos. The title track, Shatter Me, features Stirling portrayed as a porcelain doll trapped in a glass dome, longing for the world outside. Another mentionable video is for Master of Tides, the video was of a spontaneous live performance at a large outdoor mall, complete with Stirling dancing on a stage partially submerged with water, pyrotechnics, and a dazzling projected display of pirate ships and sea monsters.
Seeing the violinist live is a completely different performance. Lindsey Stirling is famous for dancing while playing violin, making an amazing show. For her most recent tour, titled The Music Box Tour, Stirling toured with 4 other female dancers, along with her tour band of Jason ‘Gavi’ Gaviati (Keyboard) and Drew Steen (Drums). Gavi, Stirling’s tour keyboardist, recently passed away on Monday, November 22nd due to cancer. Stirling combines projected video with complex dances, making for a truly unique performance.