Lindsey Stirling facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lindsey Stirling
Stirling in January 2018
Born	(1986-09-21) September 21, 1986 (age 38) Santa Ana, California, U.S.
Occupation	Violinist songwriter dancer
Musical career
Genres	Electronic classical dubstep
Instruments	Violin
Labels	Lindseystomp BMG Concord Capitol Universal
YouTube information
Years active	2007–present
Genre	Music
Subscribers	14 million
Total views	3.95 billion
Subscriber and view counts updated as of April 2, 2024.
Signature

Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She is famous for her unique performances where she plays the violin while dancing. You can find her amazing music videos on her official YouTube channel, which she started in 2007.

Lindsey plays many different kinds of music. These include classical, pop, rock, and electronic dance music. Besides her own songs, she also covers music by famous composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Her music video for "Crystallize" was one of the most watched videos on YouTube in 2012. Her cover of "Radioactive" with Pentatonix won an award at the first YouTube Music Awards in 2013. By 2014, Lindsey had sold over one million songs around the world. Her YouTube channel, Lindseystomp, has more than 13 million subscribers and over 3 billion total views.

Forbes magazine recognized Lindsey Stirling in their "30 Under 30 in Music" list for 2015. They noted her success on America's Got Talent in 2010. Her second album, Shatter Me, reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2014.

Lindsey's first album, Lindsey Stirling, was very popular in Europe. It sold over 200,000 copies in Germany and earned a platinum award. It also received awards in Austria, Switzerland, and Poland. This album was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Albums. Her second album, Shatter Me, won the Top Dance/Electronic Album award at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.

Early Life

Lindsey Stirling grew up as the middle child of three daughters. Her parents, Stephen and Diane Stirling, raised their family simply. Lindsey has said she wouldn't change her childhood for anything. Because money was tight, her parents could only afford half-hour violin lessons for her. Even though teachers said it was too short, Lindsey started learning the violin at age five.

When she was a teenager in Gilbert, Arizona, Lindsey went to Greenfield Junior High and later Mesquite High School. She joined a rock band with friends called Stomp on Melvin. While in the band, Lindsey wrote a solo violin rock song. This performance helped her win the state title of Arizona's Junior Miss. She also won the Spirit Award in the America's Junior Miss Finals. Lindsey was also part of the Charley Jenkins Band for about a year.

From a young age, Lindsey loved to dance and wanted to take both dance and violin lessons. She once shared that her parents told her she could only choose one because they couldn't afford both. She chose the violin. So, her dancing while playing the violin now is like a dream come true for her.

Career Highlights

2010–2012: America's Got Talent and First Album

In 2010, when Lindsey was 23, she became a quarter-finalist on America's Got Talent. She was known as a "hip hop violinist." She amazed the judges by mixing hip-hop, pop, and classical music with her violin playing. She also danced while performing, which she still does in her shows and music videos. Lindsey explained that it was hard to learn to dance and play at the same time, but now it feels natural. She has to know a song perfectly before she can start dancing to it.

The judges called her performances "electrifying." However, after she tried more complex dancing in a quarter-final, one judge, Piers Morgan, stopped her. He said she wasn't good enough to play the violin while flying through the air. Another judge, Sharon Osbourne, suggested she needed to be in a group. Lindsey felt sad and embarrassed, but she decided to keep her unique style. She said that staying true to herself is why she became successful.

Soon after America's Got Talent, a filmmaker named Devin Graham asked to work with her. They made a music video for her song "Spontaneous Me." This video made Lindsey much more popular, and she started making music videos regularly for her YouTube channel, Lindseystomp. This channel, named after her first band, is where most of her music videos are. It quickly became popular and now has billions of views and millions of subscribers. Lindsey also has a second YouTube channel, LindseyTime, where she shares videos about her life and behind-the-scenes content.

Lindsey has experimented with combining violin music with hip hop and dubstep. She has worked with the Salt Lake Pops orchestra and Alex Boyé. Her first album, Lindsey Stirling, was released on September 18, 2012.

In December 2012, YouTube announced that Lindsey's song "Crystallize" was the 8th most-viewed video of the year.

2013–2014: World Tours and Shatter Me

In April 2013, Lady Gaga's manager, Troy Carter, signed a deal with Lindsey. He was impressed by her growing popularity online. Lindsey had turned down other management companies before, but she felt excited by Carter's modern approach.

Lindsey's album, Lindsey Stirling, received golden awards in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. By August 2013, it had sold over 158,000 copies in the United States. She became the second best-selling artist on the Classical Crossover charts that year.

In June 2013, she performed at Miss Switzerland. In July, she joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for a concert in Salt Lake City. Lindsey also announced her first tour dates in Australia, South Korea, and Japan. Her YouTube channel reached three million subscribers in August. After almost a year of touring, she finished her first world tour in London in September. She then announced she was starting her second album.

In October 2013, Lindsey joined Dance Showdown, a dance competition web series. She was a finalist and received great praise for her performances.

Her first album was re-released in October 2013 as a deluxe version. It included new versions and remixes of her popular songs like "Crystallize." This re-release sold 10,000 copies in its first week, which was a record for her. The album reached its highest position on the Billboard 200 at No. 23.

On November 3, 2013, Lindsey and Pentatonix's version of "Radioactive" won a YouTube Music Award. Lindsey also performed at the live event. She announced her 2014 World Tour dates in Canada and the U.S. Many tickets sold out quickly.

In early 2014, her first album received platinum awards in Germany and Austria. Lindsey also received her first gold award from the RIAA for "Crystallize." In March, she performed in Mexico City for the first time.

Lindsey was nominated for two Echo music awards in 2014 and won the "Best Crossover Act" award.

On March 12, 2014, Lindsey announced her second album, Shatter Me, would be released in May. She also used PledgeMusic to offer special items to fans who pre-ordered the album. The first single from Shatter Me, "Beyond the Veil", was released with a music video on March 25. She also worked with Owl City on his song "Beautiful Times".

On April 23, 2014, she released the second single, "Shatter Me," which quickly gained 1.3 million views. The album was released in the U.S. on April 29 and in Europe on May 2. It sold 56,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Shatter Me was also very successful in Europe. Lindsey performed "Beyond the Veil" at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards.

Lindsey started her second world tour on May 13, 2014, with 77 shows. By July, Shatter Me was the third best-selling dance/electronic album of the year. On July 27, "Crystallize" became her first music video to reach 100 million views. Lindsey returned to America's Got Talent in August to perform "Shatter Me" with Lzzy Hale.

She also collaborated with Pentatonix again on the song "Papaoutai" and with Jessie J for her album Sweet Talker. In September, she joined Andrea Bocelli for his UK and Ireland Tour. Lindsey continued her tour in Europe in October and extended it into 2015.

2015–2018: Books, New Albums, and Dancing with the Stars

In January 2015, Forbes magazine again featured Lindsey on their '30 Under 30' list. Her albums Shatter Me and Lindsey Stirling were the top-selling dance-electronic albums of 2014. In February, she announced that her London shows would air on public television as Lindsey Stirling: Live from London.

Lindsey won her second YouTube Music Award in March 2015. She also won "Best Crossover Act" at the Echo Music Awards for the second year in a row. In April, she won her first Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Album for Shatter Me.

In July 2015, Lindsey announced she would start working on her third album after her tour finished in August. Variety magazine ranked her eleventh in their Digital Star Ranking, recognizing her as a top digital star. In August, she released her first video album, "Lindsey Stirling: Live from London", which was very popular in Germany.

In late 2015, Lindsey's song "Hallelujah" became her first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also reached number one on the Hot Christian Songs Chart.

Lindsey released her autobiography, The Only Pirate at the Party, in January 2016. She wrote it with her sister, Brooke S. Passey. The book made it to The New York Times best-seller list. The title comes from when Lindsey had to wear an eye patch as a child and pretended she was a pirate.

In June 2016, Lindsey announced her new album, Brave Enough, which came out in August. She also released a music video for "The Arena". Brave Enough reached number one on the US Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Lindsey also wrote the song "Something Wild" for the Disney movie, Pete's Dragon. She promoted her album on TV shows and performed at The International 2016, a big Dota 2 video game tournament.

In September 2016, Lindsey started her Brave Enough Tour, which had 79 shows worldwide. She also performed the national anthem for the San Francisco 49ers football team. Lindsey released a music video for "Prism" in October, where she played five different versions of herself. In November, she released "Hold My Heart" with ZZ Ward and an Alice in Wonderland themed video. She also recorded acoustic versions of her songs for Spotify.

In 2017, Lindsey released a video for "Love's Just a Feeling" and performed it on TV. She also released a limited edition vinyl record of Brave Enough for Record Store Day. A documentary called Lindsey Stirling: Brave Enough was released on YouTube, showing concert footage and interviews from her tour.

In September 2017, Lindsey competed on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional dancer Mark Ballas. Lindsey faced two injuries during the show but kept dancing. Her performance in week 4 was a tribute to her father, who had passed away earlier that year. Lindsey and Mark finished in second place, earning many perfect scores.

In October 2017, Lindsey released her fourth album, "Warmer in the Winter", which was a holiday-themed record. It featured other artists like Becky G and Sabrina Carpenter. The album reached the Top 40 on the Billboard 200. She then went on her "Warmer in the Winter Tour". A deluxe version of the album was released the next year with more songs.

In 2018, Lindsey appeared on the song "Hi-Lo" from Evanescence's album Synthesis and toured with them. She also collaborated with Alexander Jean on the song "Deeper." Lindsey made several TV appearances, including on Dancing With The Stars again and in an episode of The Outpost. She released a video for "You're a Mean One Mr Grinch" with Sabrina Carpenter.

2019–2021: Artemis, Podcasts, and Collaborations

On June 21, 2019, Lindsey announced her fifth album, Artemis. She said she was inspired by the Greek goddess Artemis and related it to her own life challenges. The first song from the album was "Underground". She also announced her Lindsey Stirling Artemis Tour, which started in Mexico and Europe. The tour was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but restarted in North America in 2021. Lindsey also released a six-part comic book series called Artemis.

In July 2019, Lindsey performed "The Upside" at PBS's A Capitol Fourth celebration. Later, a version of the song with vocals by Elle King was released.

In November 2019, Lindsey went on her third holiday tour, the Warmer in the Winter Christmas Tour. She also released a video for "We Three Gentlemen" and was featured on the cover of Guitar Girl Magazine. Lindsey collaborated with Switchfoot on their song "Voices."

Many of Lindsey's songs were used in TV shows and movies in 2019, like "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" in The Knight Before Christmas.

In March 2020, NASA released a video of Lindsey performing "Artemis" at the Kennedy Space Center. The song shares a name with NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the moon. Lindsey released several music videos for songs from the "Artemis" album that told a story. In June 2020, the video for "Between Twilight" featured dancer Derek Hough.

In May 2020, Lindsey started a weekly podcast called "String Sessions," where she covers a song by a featured artist and then interviews them. The podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

In July 2020, Lindsey's YouTube channel reached 3 billion views.

In August 2020, Lindsey worked with Evanescence again on their song "Use My Voice" and released "What You're Made Of" with Kiesza for the video game Azur Lane. She also collaborated with Escape the Fate on the song "Invincible."

Lindsey started 2021 by releasing "Lose You Now" with DJ Mako. This song was based on her original song "Guardian" from Artemis. It reached number 3 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart. She also released a cover and music video of "Wild Rift" from the game League of Legends.

In July 2021, Lindsey released her second EP, "Lose You Now", as a vinyl exclusive for Record Store Day. She also released a video for "Masquerade" from Artemis, filmed in a silent movie style. Lindsey continued her video game collaborations, performing for Tales of Arise and Genshin Impact. She also appeared on America's Got Talent with magician Shin Lim.

In October 2021, Lindsey partnered with Yamaha to create a limited edition "Crystallize" violin. She also launched a beauty palette with cosmetic company Bellapierre. Lindsey's music was featured in Disney's Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary celebration show, 'Harmonious', at EPCOT.

In November, Lindsey went on her fourth holiday tour, The Lindsey Stirling Christmas Program Tour. A special film, "Lindsey Stirling: Home for the Holidays," was released in movie theaters, featuring Christmas songs and her popular tracks with unique choreography.

2022–2023: Snow Waltz and Live Shows

In 2022, Lindsey announced she wrote the theme song for the CBS series Good Sam. She also performed at the grand opening of Bell Bank Park in Arizona and on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Lindsey launched a show on Amazon's Amp app and confirmed she was working on a new album. She performed at various festivals and events, including Seaworld Orlando and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

In early June, Lindsey was featured on the song "Maniac" by girlfriends. In July, a music video for "Love Goes On And On" was released, featuring Evanesence lead singer Amy Lee.

On August 25, Lindsey announced her new holiday album, Snow Waltz. The first song, "Ice Storm," was released with a music video. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and released digitally in October. In September, she announced a North American tour for Snow Waltz. Hallmark announced Lindsey would make a cameo in their movie, A Fabled Holiday, performing "Joy to the World." Lindsey also performed for the video game A Plague Tale: Requiem.

In 2023, Lindsey performed at Lollapalooza Paris. She also announced a US Tour with Walk Off The Earth, including performances at several state fairs. In July, Lindsey released her version of "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. She performed concerts in Europe, including in Athens and Tel Aviv. In November, Lindsey began her 2023 Snow Waltz Christmas Tour, which included dates in London, Paris, Brussels, and Berlin. She also performed at the CMA Christmas special.

2024–Present: Duality

In early 2024, Lindsey performed at the NAMM Show for Yamaha and received a She Rocks award. On March 8, 2024, Lindsey announced her latest album, Duality, set to release on June 16. The first song from the album was "Eye Of The Untold Her." Lindsey confirmed a 40-city tour in the US starting in July. In April, she released the song "Inner Gold" with Royal & The Serpent. Lindsey also performed for a wedding at the ancient Egyptian pyramids in Giza.

In May, Lindsey released the third song from Duality, "Evil Twin." She also confirmed European tour dates for October and November. Peloton announced a Lindsey Stirling class would be available on their platform. In June, the video game Beat Saber added "Untamed" from Duality as a new song.

Duality was officially released on June 14. Lindsey also released the song "Survive" with a new music video. After its release, Duality reached number 25 on the OCC UK Albums Sales chart.

At the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, American athlete Suni Lee performed to Lindsey's song "Eye of the Untold Her" during her floor routine. In September, Lindsey confirmed she would have another winter tour with 21 dates leading up to Christmas.

Giving Back

On October 1, 2013, Lindsey worked with the Atlanta Music Project, a non-profit group. Their goal is to help children from underserved areas learn and perform music. Lindsey sold special shirts, and all the money went to the project to help provide music training for 50 children.

On March 22, 2014, Lindsey joined Cirque du Soleil for their "One Night for One Drop" event in Las Vegas. This event raised money to help make clean water available to everyone around the world.

During her 2017 Warmer in the Winter tour, fans were asked to bring an unopened toy to donate to Toys for Tots. Those who donated received a special photo of Lindsey and her pet chihuahua, Luna Latte.

In December 2018, Lindsey performed a concert for Ronald McDonald House Charities. All the money from the show helped the Buffalo Ronald McDonald House and a children's hospital.

In April 2020, Lindsey started The Upside Fund, a charity to help people struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic. She donated a lot of her own money and later expanded the charity to help anyone facing economic hardship. She also auctioned off some of her performance outfits on eBay, with all the money going to the charity.

In May 2020, Lindsey participated in the 320 Festival, an event to raise awareness about mental health. She performed online from her sister's farm, and all the money raised went to non-profit partners.

Lindsey's Violins

Lindsey uses different violins for different performances. For live shows, she often uses a Yamaha SV-250 Silent Violin Pro and a Luis and Clark "Nero" carbon fiber acoustic violin. She has used the Yamaha Electric Violin since 2000. The Luis and Clark violin became famous after she used it in her cover of "Radioactive" in 2013.

For recording in the studio, Lindsey usually uses an old Ernst Heinrich Roth "Roth" acoustic violin. She also uses her Yamaha silent violin for a very clear sound. She stopped using her "Roth" for live shows because she would sweat too much while performing.

Lindsey also owns other violins, including a cheap eBay violin named "Ingrid" (used for risky stunts in videos), a purple Wood Viper Violin called "Viper," and a Yamaha Silent Violin named "Steampunk" (her first electric violin).

In an interview, Lindsey said Yamaha electric violins are her "weapon of choice." Her "Roth" violin, which she calls Excalibur, is her favorite. In 2020, she talked about her five favorite violins, including "David Bowie," her crossbow violin. In 2022, she showed all her current violins in a video.

Other special violins she owns include:

• Cleopatra - An electric violin covered in gems, often used for "Master of Tides."
• Anastasia - A red electric violin with decorations, a gift from Russian fans.
• Pickles - A small child's violin used for fun parts of her concerts.
• Violumpet - A stunt violin with a horn attached, seen in "Roundtable Rival."
• Ace - Another acoustic violin.
• David Bowie - An electric violin with a crossbow attached, seen in "Artemis."
• Arowen - A silver electric violin covered in gems.
• Starlight - An electric violin with an LED light strip.
• Spoon - A natural wood finish electric Yamaha YEV104 Series violin.
• Crystallize - A special Lindsey Stirling signature Yamaha electric violin.

Lindsey uses the L.R. Baggs Violin Pickup for her "Roth" and "Nero" violins. In March 2022, she auctioned off a violin she used as a teenager for the charity Unicef. It sold for $7,200.

Personal Life

Lindsey Stirling went to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, to study filmmaking. She later served as a missionary in New York City for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She wrote a story about her mission that was published in a book. Lindsey returned to BYU in 2009 and later moved back to Arizona to be with her family. In 2015, she graduated from BYU with a degree in recreation management. She moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and bought a home in Hollywood Hills in 2019.

In December 2015, Lindsey got a chihuahua named Luna. Luna sometimes appears on stage and in photos. Lindsey says Luna helped her through sad times after losing close friends and family.

Lindsey has openly shared how her faith helped her through difficult times in high school and college. She was featured in the LDS Church's I'm a Mormon campaign, where she spoke about this. Her song "Shatter Me" is about overcoming a personal challenge. The album cover shows a ballerina in a cracked glass globe, which represents her journey.

An asteroid is named after Lindsey Stirling! It's called Asteroid 242516 Lindseystirling. It's about 2–3 kilometers wide.

Touring Band Members

Stirling (center), Riveros (left) and Steen (right) in 2024

• Drew Steen – drums, percussion (2012–present)
• Ryan Riveros - keyboards, guitars (2021–present)

Dancers (2024)

• Selena Hamilton
• Taylor Gagliano
• Anika Kojma
• Madeline Underwood
• Annelise Ritacca

Former Members

• Jason "Gavi" Gaviati – keyboards, samples (2012–2015); Gaviati passed away in 2015.
• Kit Nolan – keyboards, guitars and samples (2015–2021)

Albums

• Lindsey Stirling (2012)
• Shatter Me (2014)
• Brave Enough (2016)
• Warmer in the Winter (2017)
• Artemis (2019)
• Snow Waltz (2022)
• Duality (2024)

Film and TV Appearances

Tours

Lindsey Stirling has toured all over the world, bringing her unique violin and dance performances to fans.

First Tours (2012–2015)

Her first tour lasted almost a year, with 122 shows across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It started just before her first album, Lindsey Stirling, was released. Many of these shows were sold out.

In 2014 and 2015, Lindsey went on her Shatter Me World Tour and The Music Box Tour. She performed 77 shows in North America and Europe in 2014. In 2015, she did 67 shows across five continents, including her first time performing in South America. Over 200,000 people attended her shows during this time.

Summer and Festival Tours (2016)

After taking time to record her album Brave Enough, Lindsey returned to touring in 2016. She had a Summer Tour across the United States. She also played at four big summer festivals in Europe, including Electric Picnic in Ireland and Lollapalooza Germany in Berlin.

Brave Enough Tour (2016–2017)

Following her summer shows, Lindsey started her 79-date Brave Enough world tour. This tour covered four continents throughout 2016 and 2017, starting in California and ending in Mexico.

Holiday Tours (2017–Present)

Lindsey Stirling performing in 2018

Lindsey started her first Christmas tour, the Warmer in the Winter Tour, in November 2017. She performed songs from her holiday album. She even broadcast one concert live on Twitter.

In 2018, she went on The Wanderland Tour, another Christmas-themed tour. She continued her holiday tours in 2019 with the Warmer in the Winter Christmas Tour.

In 2021, she had The Lindsey Stirling Christmas Program Tour across the US. In 2022, she started her Snow Waltz Tour, supporting her second festive album. She continued the Snow Waltz Tour in 2023, visiting both the US and Europe. In September 2024, she announced another Snow Waltz Tour for the holiday season.

Other Tours (2018–Present)

In 2018, Lindsey and Evanescence co-headlined the Synthesis Live tour, performing with a full orchestra.

Lindsey announced her Artemis World Tour in 2019 to support her album Artemis. The tour started in Mexico and Europe but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It restarted in North America in 2021.

In 2023, Lindsey went on a US tour with the Canadian band Walk Off The Earth.

In 2024, Lindsey confirmed her Duality Tour, a 40-city North American tour to support her new album Duality.

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Stirling at VidCon 2012

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  Lindsey Stirling performing on The Music Box Tour in Cenon, France in 2014

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  Stirling in Buenos Aires in April 2015 as part of her Shatter Me World Tour

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  Stirling in Vienna, Austria in 2019 on the Artemis Tour

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  Stirling performing at St John's Church, Kingston in November 2022

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  Stirling performing at the 2024 NAMM Show

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  Lindsey Stirling in Guadalajara, Mexico in April 2015

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  Lindsey Stirling performing in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Lindsey Stirling para niños

• List of female violinists
• List of electric violinists