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When you’re on top of the world, you might as well dance.
That’s exactly what Lindsey Stirling is doing: While her recently released album “Shatter Me” continues its domination of the dance-pop scene, the 27-year-old California native is selling out dates across the country with high-energy performances built on complex choreography and hip-hop violin fusion. She took a break from her hectic schedule just long enough to talk to GroundSounds about the success of her new album, dealing with YouTube trolls, and staying grounded in the larger-than-life circus that is the music industry.
GS: Congratulations on the success of your new album “Shatter Me,” which debuted as the most downloaded non-soundtrack album on iTunes when it was released. You were also nominated for a Billboard Music Award for your self-titled debut album earlier in April. Did you ever expect to have so much success so early in your career, and how drastically has your life changed in the past four years?
LS: I honestly only dreamed of what is happening right now. Almost four years ago I was managed by, um, myself, haha! I had a day job, my three singles were selling but not very well, and I performed mostly for weddings and corporate events. To say my life has changed is an understatement. I feel so blessed to be touring all over the world, my albums are selling… I literally feel like I’m living in a dream. It seems too good to be true.
GS: Most people wouldn’t think that violin and dance/club beats would mesh well, but they come together in your music. How did you develop your signature sound, and who are your biggest influences?
LS: I grew up listening to Vanessa Mae, Bond, Weezer, Michael Jackson… I have a pretty broad range of music I listen to. The only genre I don’t really listen to is Country Western. I started playing violin when I was six after absolutely BEGGING my parents for lessons. But as I got older I started losing interest. I got tired of playing other people’s music. I wanted to play popular songs, improvise, create my own music. I got frustrated and bored and almost wanted to quit playing violin altogether. Gratefully, my “mean” mom wouldn’t let me (thank you!) and in high school I finally found a niche: I joined a punk rock band. I learned to improvise to their music. My senior year of high school I wrote my first violin solo for the America’s Junior Miss Pageant and added some dance moves in an effort to impress the judges… and it worked! In college, I filmed this in my apartment for fun and uploaded it to YouTube. Crazily enough, the video went viral, and America’s Got Talent contacted me as a result. After the show I realized that, rather than improvising to others’ music, I wanted to start creating my own. I found Marco G, my first producer (who produced 9 of the 12 songs on my first album). And the rest is history.
GS: Many of your fans are teenagers and young adults who may have never been exposed to violin or classical music before listening to your albums. Do you see yourself as a sort of ambassador for classical music in an overwhelmingly alt-rock-pop world?
LS: I’m rather proud of the fact that most of what I do doesn’t conform with social norms. There’s a reason there’s no such thing as a marching orchestra… because string players “can’t” march and play, let alone dance and play, right? And violin and dubstep wouldn’t go well together, right? And a solo violinist couldn’t actually sell out tours, right? I would like to think that by turning all of my “can’ts” into “cans,” I have in some way inspired others to do the same, and that I can be an example to others that anything is possible.
GS: After you were eliminated from America’s Got Talent in 2010, you wrote that you were “devastated at the results” and that it was “painful and a bit humiliating.” Today, some critics continue to dismiss your unique brand of music despite its success. Do you use the doubters and their negativity as increased motivation to succeed, or is it just background noise?
LS: You can’t win them all… I read a statistic once when I worked at Target loooong ago, lol, that about 1 in 10 people are literally impossible to please. You can bend over backwards for them, give them the best deal, treat them like a queen/king and they still won’t be happy. So the fact that most of my videos have around 10 percent “dislikes” is pretty encouraging actually. Regarding comments, I’ve had other YouTubers tell me that “mean” comments don’t bother them anymore… and I do think that over time it gets easier to take criticism “with a grain of salt.” But I don’t think you ever completely become numb to it; at least I don’t. Mean comments hurt. But the good feedback definitely outweighs the bad, I have amazing support from my family, friends, and fans, and so I try to focus on the positive, make positive changes where necessary, and just keep doing my best to be my best.
GS: Last year you were featured in a campaign for the Church of Latter Day Saints entitled “I’m a Mormon,” in which you discussed your faith. Is it hard being openly religious in a music industry notorious for its “sex and drugs” culture?
LS: You know it’s hard sometimes… It’s definitely a challenge to make a show “entertaining” in a world where sexuality sells. I remember recently I had just gone to a concert by another artist, and I was thinking to myself how boring my show must seem to a lot of people because I can’t do a lot of the “exciting” things that are often done on stage by other artists due to my beliefs and my faith. But I think that that has actually set me apart and caused me to stand out. I may not be the world’s biggest star, but I think that I attract fans who are looking for “light” in their lives. And if I can make a difference to those people and inspire them to rise above their current circumstances, to realize that there is a God out there who loves them and who wants them to be happy and succeed… then I’ve succeeded.
GS: YouTube has obviously been a huge part of your success so far, with your official channel approaching 5 million subscribers. What’s it like to feel that kind of love from millions of music fans around the world?
LS: It’s unreal… I mean when you look at a number like 5 million it takes on a little different meaning when you realize each and every one of those numbers represents a person. And that every one of those people have a unique life, unique challenges, unique hopes and dreams… and I’m able to reach them through my music. I’m truly honored that these people have allowed me to, even in a very small way, influence and be a part of their lives. The love is mutual; I definitely feel their love and support and I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things I’m doing without them.
GS: You seem to have a passion for dance, and you’ve infused your concert performances with high-intensity dance numbers. How do you manage to play the violin while executing all that physically demanding choreography?
LS: Haha well… I can tell you that when I started rehearsing for this tour, I realized how terribly out of shape I was. Soooo I went out and bought myself some new running shoes 😛 It’s definitely physically demanding, and I still get pretty winded on stage at times. But honestly I love it; I love the energy from the audience; I love being able to play my little heart out and dance like no one is watching… even though everyone is haha.
GS: You’ve collaborated with many talented artists, including John Legend, Ellie Goulding and Hayley Williams from the band Paramore. Who is the one musician or band you would love to work with in the studio?
LS: I would absolutely love to work with Amy Lee (Evanescence); she was one of my big inspirations growing up. And I would absolutely love to collaborate with David Guetta.
GS: You’re on a massive international concert tour, and you’ve maintained an especially busy performance schedule for the last several years. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of being on tour?
LS: I have been blessed with the most amazing team. We have always gotten along really well, but it seems like the bigger it’s gotten and the more people we add to the team the more fun we have. There isn’t much that I don’t like about being on tour… I love performing, I love traveling, I love being part of a tour “family,” I love seeing all of my fans all over the world. The only thing I really miss is visiting with my family, so whenever I get a break I like to spend time with them and just relax at home.
GS: “Shatter Me” has been hugely successful so far and well-received by your fans. Can you tell us a bit about what went into making the new album, and how it differs from your first release?
When I first started writing for this album I was genuinely scared… scared that it wouldn’t be as well-received as my first, scared that I would get writer’s block, scared that it wouldn’t meet my own expectations… but then I got into the studio and started writing. When I got the demo back for my first single, which I later named “Beyond the Veil,” I was surprised with how good it sounded. I had this overwhelming feeling that God had not brought me this far just to let me fail, that He loved me, and that everything was going to come together. I wrote this entire album with the theme of “breaking free” in mind, which is where the symbolism of the ballerina in the music box (cover art) comes from. I actually saw her in my mind first, and then wrote “Shatter Me” to accompany that vision. ?
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