Lindsey Stirling: Crystallize

“It was kind of challenging at first because it was like, ‘how do I make dubstep beautiful?’ That was kind of my goal for Crystallize. In my experience, most of dubstep was so harsh and edgy and I was like, violin is the exact opposite – so smooth and non-choppy. So combining the two was a little bit of a challenge but I think I found a way to make it work.”

Lindsey Stirling is a dancing dubstep violinist. As ridiculous as that sounds, she has caught the attention of the masses; her unique approach of communicating through social media means she’s more than just an artist to her fans, she’s a celebrity role model. Perez Hilton adores her and Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter recently picked up on the potential of Stirling’s eclectic style – combining classical violin and electronic beats – by signing her with Atom Factory. A YouTube prodigy with the single, Crystallize from her debut album tallying close to 70 million views, Stirling is a bright and bubbly 26-year-old from Utah, USA – she’s also one of the world’s most unconventional Mormons.

“Mormons have a very, you know… an image of being very conservative and very kind of, by the book people, and so stepping outside the norm I think is surprising to people.”

A significant amount of Stirling’s personal life is out there in cyberspace, with over 2.2 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, but it’s not just Stirling’s violin that pulls on people’s heartstrings. Her openness in sharing her experience overcoming anorexia is worth the sting that starts to shine in her eyes when she explains:

“It’s an amazing thing to be able to share music and to able to share art but it’s also really neat to think that I can maybe help somebody that’s struggling with that same thing because I know what it’s like to feel lost in it and feel so alone.

“Especially with something like anorexia you feel like you’re the only person that’s ever gone through it for some reason. And if I can in some way help somebody with some of the things from my personal life – if it’s a little more real and everyday then I think that’s a really special thing to be able to do […] At a meet and greet someone will say to me really quietly that like, ‘I struggled with the same thing and the fact that you have made it through gives me hope.’ That makes it so much more real and so much more important than just being able to share a song with somebody.”

Having played 130 shows worldwide in the past year, her approach to the music industry sidesteps radio and television airtime, rendering these networks essentially redundant. She acknowledges that constant communication with her fans is essential and acting on requests such as doing covers of video games like Halo and The Legends of Zelda – on top of composing, choreographing and editing her own music videos – is part of the package.

“It’s really fun because usually I get to dress up. And I love playing dress ups. I’ve [had] a lot of people ask for Doctor Who lately so I’m going to have to do a Doctor Who cover.

“I go to my meet and greets and [fans] feel like they know me pretty well because they’ve seen me on my behind-the-scenes channel [and] I’ve commented to them. Because I’m a product of social media, it’s pretty essential to me that I stay connected to my fans because that’s where I came from and they’ve always been my support.”

Another world tour is on schedule for next year as her performances are playing catch-up with the flood of Internet hits, and Stirling seems to have a never-ending supply of energy for performing and creating.

“I’m working on a new album, which is exciting, and it’s fun to get into studios and write again, I’ve missed that. [But] there is no energy that can replace a live audience. I still get off stage excited and we’ve been playing the same songs but yet it’s like, ‘how can I still love this every night?’”