Violinist.com interview with Lindsey Stirling: the Scene in the Song
Who is the most visible, most popular violinist in America right now? Without a doubt, it's Lindsey Stirling.
But while millions of fans worldwide flock to her shows and watch her elaborate Youtube videos, her detractors go at her from both sides of the table: What does she think she's doing, making pop out of violin music? What is she doing, making violin music out of pop? Does she think she's a dancer? A violinist? A gymnast? A cinematographer? A composer? An actress? Is she playing dubstep, hip-hop, musical theatre, New Age, or classical? Why, and how, does she bend in so many uncomfortable ways?
Talking to Lindsey, it becomes obvious that she does not think about music in the typical way that a musician might. She doesn't compose a song; she composes a scene. The scene has music, but that's just a small part. It also has movement, light, landscape, costumes, story, theme, dance and scalable dimension.
Photos courtesy of the artist
Her way of thinking did not win her much credit in 2010, when Lindsey appeared on season five of America's Got Talent. She made it to the quarter-finals and then was epically dissed by judge Piers Morgan. That defeat may have been the best thing that happened to her; she persisted in building and improving on her ideas, and two years later she posted her breakout video, Crystallize, which has attracted a staggering 103 million views on Youtube. In it, she dances through a palace of ice (made by Brent Christensen) while playing her violin in a style that might be classified as easy-listening dubstep.
Now, at age 27, she has released two albums, Lindsey Stirling in 2012 and Shatter Me earlier this year. She's created an elaborate live stage show, complete with dancers, video, costumes and lighting effects, and she is currently in the middle of a 77-show tour of Europe and North America.
Stirling grew up in a Mormon community in Arizona and attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah to study filmmaking -- a discipline that certainly shaped her view and prepared her for making videos. I spoke with her over the phone in early September about what the violin means to her, how she conceives of her videos and shows, what classical musicians may be misunderstanding about her, and her recent return to violin lessons at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Laurie: Where were you born and what made you take up the violin in the first place?
Lindsey: I was born in Santa Ana, California. My parents loved music, and when I was a little kid, they used to play classical records on an old record player in the house. Also, they would take my sisters and me to orchestra concerts in LA -- they have so many free orchestra concerts in the park, in the convention center. Being exposed to so much classical music, I realized that the violin is the star of the orchestra. Today, kids see MTV -- they see Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, and they want to be them. But I was exposed to violin music, and seeing that the violins have the solos, I thought, "That's the star!" And so it was kind of my rock-star icon: the violinist.
Laurie: As you've gone along, obviously you've done a lot of pop music, did it ever occur to you to switch to guitar or anything like that? What made you stay with the violin?
Lindsey: You know I never did. I begged for lessons as a kid, and it was something I always loved. Rather than giving up on it when I started to get burned out, and I wanted to be more creative with it, to be able to create art and not just play what other people had created. So rather than switching instruments or giving up on what I had worked so hard to do, I just thought, no, I need to make the violin fit me, rather than make me fit the violin.
Laurie: It seems like you have a lot of elements going on to every show that you do. How do you prepare for a stadium show, and how much of it is your vision when you do those big shows?
Lindsey: When we plan the tours, I'm involved in every single piece of it. I talk with the lighting director about what colors I see for certain songs. (For this tour,) I designed the stage set-up: the risers, where the screens were going to be, what shapes there would be. I looked through videos and picked out what kind of video content I wanted to play on those screens. I arranged the set, so I chose the order of all the songs. I helped design the costumes with the designer -- some of them I made myself and some of them I had designers make. So pretty much every single piece of it, I'm a part of.
So I guess I'm basically the Creative Director of the tour.
Laurie: You are involved in so many different aspects, how do you know when to delegate? How do you find the people who can carry forth your vision?
Lindsey: That's been the biggest challenge, because the reason I was able to be successful was that I was a do-it-yourself artist. I couldn't get anyone to believe in this vision that I had, I couldn't get anyone to understand or see it. So I had to do it all myself and prove it to people. I'm so used to that, and I love being a part of everything -- but you can't. You can't control everything. Especially in this last year, as things have gotten bigger and crazier, I've really had to learn to trust people and learn to delegate. I can be a part of it, I can give ideas, I can give suggestions, and then I have to let them do it. It becomes kind of a back-and-forth thing: they do the work and then I give feedback. It's been hard to let go, but it's definitely necessary.
Laurie: You must have to have tremendous communication skills, you're not just telling someone what to do but you're also kind of telling them your entire vision for something. That's not always easy to put in words!
Lindsey: No, it's not!
Laurie: How is it different, the process of conceiving a video or conceiving a stage show?
Lindsey: I try to compartmentalize them into two very different things, although sometimes it's fun to try to bring a song to life on stage because people connected with the video. For example, for Crystallize, I played the ice castle video behind me onstage -- without me in it -- it's just the ice castle background. As soon as it comes on, people immediately connect with it, and they're taken back to a memory of when they first saw that video. That was such a huge moment for me and for a lot of my fans. I even made it snow in my first tour, during that song. I wanted to bring it to life for people and make it magical.
Other times, I try to divide the two; I want it to be a very different experience when they're listening to a song live than when they saw the video. But there are certain concepts I love to keep. A lot of times I think of the idea for the music video and the live performance in terms of, what do I want this song to represent? For example, I very first started writing a song in the studio and immediately I knew that it felt like pirates to me. So I called it Master of Tides. Right from the get-go, before anything was barely created on the song, I knew that I was going to make a video where I was a pirate captain, and I knew that on stage, I would have my dancers dress up as pirates, and that's the whole theme of the song. They have bows, -- I got really cheap violin bows -- and they're using them as swords on stage.
In the video you have a different kind of creativity; you can do things you could never do on stage. They're the same concepts a lot of times, but just done in a different way. Sometimes it's more theatrical on stage and more fantastical in the video.
Laurie: About how many shows have you done?
Lindsey: Probably about 200 shows in the last two years.
Laurie: It's got to be physically exhausting. How long is the show and how do you keep yourself from collapsing in the middle of it?
Lindsey: It's an extremely physical show. We've got dancers now. At first I thought it would make it easier for me, but it actually makes it harder because I have to keep up with these dancers and choreography as well. But it makes the show so much more engaging, to have all these elements of movement going on. I write music, hoping that it will inspire movement. The show is about an hour and a half long, and there's a small section in the middle where I get to sit down. I have two songs where I sit on a chair and they bring out a piano. It's part of the set that I really need, to catch my breath halfway through and then continue on. But yes, I have to be in pretty good shape. This last tour, I've never been in such great shape in my life as I was at the end of it! We do the show every night, and that's a huge work out. Then we do crunches after the show and I work out on my days off, so it's pretty intense.
Laurie: What do you think that classical musicians most mis-understand about what you're doing?
Lindsey: I definitely take a lot of influence from my classical background and throw it into my electronic style. I try to make it a big fusion of everything that I love, be it classical, be it electronic, be it rock, be it Celtic music. Sometimes my fans will say, "Lindsey's the best violinist in the world!" and I think, heavens no. There are so many violinists who can play far better than me, and I don't ever pretend to be the best violinist in the world and I definitely don't think I am. But I think that it's important for people to realize that I do what I love. I've found a way to make the violin something that kids can relate to, kids who maybe wouldn't normally be drawn to a classical violin. It doesn't mean that it's better or worse, but it's just different. I've never felt like things should be categorized. Just because you're a violinist doesn't mean that you have to play classical music; just because you're maybe shaped differently doesn't mean you can't be a dancer. I want to live my life in a way that boxes don't exist and boundaries don't have to be there. So I hope that people can see that through my music; it's about being fresh, being innovative, and making it fun again. Because I lost my love of it for a little bit, and I wanted it back. I wanted to love it again.
Laurie: What made you lose your love for it?
Lindsey: I'm not sure. I think I just got kind of burned out. I'd been playing classical violin for years, since I was six years old, and in my late teens I just realized I didn't love it, I didn't enjoy it, I didn't want to major in music. I kind of had no desire to do it, and it was almost like a fight with myself: I couldn't give up, I couldn't quit, but could feel it slipping away because I didn't care any more.
I realized, I need to start playing the kind of music that I want to listen to. When I turn on the radio, what am I searching for? When I buy music, what am I looking for? And so I started to get creative with it, and it just made my passion come more alive than it ever was.
Laurie: Do you have arrangements that kids can get at this point?
Lindsey: Yes, I have two books that are cover songs, and then Phantom of the Opera medley, and they all have piano accompaniments to them, and then I also have a CDs that come with them, of a backtrack to play along with. And then for my original music, they come as individual sheet music pieces. Most of my original songs have a backtrack mp3 and the sheet music and piano accompaniment. (Here is a link to Lindsey Stirling's violin sheet music.)
Laurie: I understand that you use both an acoustic and an electric violin, a Yamaha Silent Violin Pro. What can you do with an electric violin that you can't do with an acoustic? What kind of things has it helped you explore?
Lindsey: They have a very different sound. Sometimes I love the classic, beautiful warmth of a wood violin -- that's something you just cannot recreate. With an electric violin, it's an extremely clean sound, so when you do want to put effects on it, it's easier to manipulate and get to exactly the sound that you want. I like different violins for certain songs. I'm so into costuming as well, and it's fun to be able to use my violin as an accessory to my costumes and looks. For example, we had a song where I wanted it to glow in the dark, because my costume and the choreography lends itself really well to glowing in the dark. There's another one where I pull this sparkly violin out of a treasure chest, because it's the pirate number, and it allows the violin to be not just an instrument, but also a piece of the story and the world that we've created through this show. So I've searched and searched for a violin that I could decorate, and you can decorate electric violins, you can do whatever you want with them. I love the Yamaha violin the most, and I think they've put a lot of time into improving it over the years. The (Yamaha) electric that I use now is far superior to my first electric violin, which was a Yamaha back in about 2000. It's amazing, how much they've improved it, and it just keeps getting better. It definitely has the most clean and warm sound, and the least bow noise of any of the electric violins.
Laurie: In what ways did it get better over the last 14 years?
Lindsey: It used to be really hard to do dynamics on it -- a lot of electric violins are like that, they can catch the bow to the string and it just makes a loud sound, amplified. But this is very sensitive to the dynamics that you put into it and the pressure of the bow. Also, it has very little bow noise, which is very hard to get. It used to also just be a very flat sound and now it's got some warmth to it, which is very important for me.
Laurie: When you use an acoustic, what kind of acoustic violin do you have?
Lindsey: I have a Roth violin, it's about 80 years old. I love it, it's a German-made, Roth violin.
Laurie: Do you still use it in your show, or do you use just the electric?
Lindsey: I definitely use it, especially for the middle of the set, where we do an acoustic part. I have to use that wood violin, it's just not the same with anything else.
Laurie: Do you have any advise for teenagers who are deciding whether they'd like to stick with the violin or not?
Lindsey: It's so important to do the exercises, do the scales. The classical music is so great and essential to getting your chops up. But at the same time, I think it's important for kids to reward themselves, to make it fun. For me, it was playing fiddle music. I loved listening to Mark O'Connor; that was almost like my dessert after a meal. I learned and practiced my scales, then okay, now I can learn my fiddle tunes. So whether they want to try playing along with a Katy Perry song or they want to learn a Lindsey Stirling song, I say there's a balance. You have to work hard at the scales and the skills and the classical, but also keep it fun. Join a band, find a way to make it fun, otherwise it is easy to burn out, and that's why people quit.
Laurie: Do you still do some of those exercises now?
Lindsey: I do, I actually just started taking lessons again for the first time in 10 years, and I think it was a wonderful decision. I'm like a rusty car that needs a lot of maintenance! I feel like I'm starting all over again, but I'm working on going back to the basics again. Tuning up!
Laurie: No one is ever to old for that, or ever too accomplished for that.
Lindsey: It's true.
* * *
Lindsey Stirling's cover of the pop song by Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive," with the acapella group, Pentatonix:
Replies
Well, Jeff, I certainly hope that you weren't thinking that any vilification was coming from me! I see Lindsey as an artist making her way, figuring out so many things about production, dance, costuming and music -- on an awfully high level as she's going along. It's very honest, really different, and as she's been figuring it out, her early mistakes or less-than-polished performances were (and are) there for everyone to see and criticize. And then when she hits her mark, her very success makes her a target as well!
So why would a Celtic player get less grief? Maybe Riverdance paved the way for all of us to associate Celtic music with a lot of movement? I really don't know.
Another thought: while Lindsey is giving credit to her early classical upbringing, that might ruffle the feathers of those who had a more intense classical upbringing and want to define "classical training" in a different way.
I think people can take it for what it is, love it or hate it, but give credit to Lindsey for having a different vision and following through on it with an amazing kind of courage, persistence and energy.
I've heard of one man bands before (even before my Dad had a signed photo of Leo Sayer on his music room wall - he'd taught violin to the great man's niece), but a one man opera ... (without the words)!
Its an intersting question, why does Mairead Nesbitt not get the negativity that Lindsey Stirling gets? A few possibilities. One, Nesbitt's classical credentials are far superior, but as far as I can see she doesnt have thousands of fans proclaiming her the best violinist on earth. Two, Nesbitt started her career before the time when anything anyone did was immediately flamed on the blogosphere to the extent it is today. Celtic Woman started ca. 2004, two years before Twitter was founded. Third, Nesbitt's debut album was not a YouTube video. Her career trajectory was more conventional. And finally its possible Nesbitt gets more slack because of her airbrushed glamour, whereas, to her credit perhaps, Stirling does not go out of her way to be photographed in ultra sexy clothing or suggestive poses.
Great answers, guys! You gave me a lot to chew on. And Laurie, I definitely did not think you were vilifying Lindsey in any way. I just wanted to hear your opinion as a working pro in today's world, as mine was a couple of decades ago.
And I love,love,love, Mairead Nesbitt, and watch Celtic Woman every Christmas.
Laurie, Thanks for a very informative interview. Good work.
Lindsey is a multi-media artist, of which violin is one of the media in her mix. Thinking of her this way, her act makes perfect sense.
BTW, in the first photo of her in the article, what is in her ear? Some sort of hearing aid?
Kate, there is so much going on in her show, I'm sure it's a monitor for the click track or whatever else she needs to hear in time.
Thanks Laurie for a great interview . I love Lindsey's creativity and no matter how folks feel about her, she has brought the violin into the spotlight for the younger generation. And that cant be bad.
Thanks for this. I am a big fan of Ms. Stirling. I find some negative reactions to her interesting. As we all know, the violin can be a challenging instrument. And certainly many work for decades to play very difficult classical pieces. I wonder if seeing someone take the instrument and apply it to different worlds in different manners is a little overwhelming to some - you mean there is a larger world for the violin? Goodness, the classical world is difficult enough! I honestly think that Lindsey is the best thing to happen to the violin in a long time. It doesn't detract at all from the classical world but she is a wonderful ambassador to the younger folks immersed in pop. They may look at the violin in ways they haven't imagined.
Does Ms. Stirling mention the use of a Luis and Clark C.F. violin?
She didn't talk to me about that, but it looks like she has sometimes used one, from the videos and pictures.
Lindsey underestimates herself. She may be "the best" violinist in the world if you look into the world of todays youth/pop culture, a culture that has had little use for a violin. A girl embracing that culture and showing how the violin can fit into it. She carries herself like a rock star. Watch her impromptu videos and tell me she isn't a little crazy in a good way - and uninhibited in a way you rarely see among the usual classical stars. Then imagine any classical violinist behaving like she does. Better yet, imagine a classical violinist who would writhe in front of a burning fire in tights while giving us a cover of Evanscence's Immortal. A beautiful and heartfelt interpretation showing off what a wonderful instrument the violin can be - and we don't need judges to tell us that because the number who follow her tells us she is touching people. Or listen to her cover the hard core hip-hop hit Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, with comments from youngsters like "wow, that violin sure sounds great with that song" (who would have thought?). I wouldn't want to ever lose the "formal" classical stars doing "serious" music, but Lindsey is very refreshing, stepping outside the decorum of classical violinists. A gutsy young woman who believes in having faith in herself and celebrating that which makes her unique (a philosophy she espouses to all her fans). Some of her productions are wonderful spectacles, but if you listen closely, especially when she isn't jumping around too much, you may be surprised to find that the young lady is actually an impressive violin player. Thanks for the interview.
They thing in her ears are , in ear monitors wireless like headphones. Agreed she is a mix of dancing and playing solid at both. Fiddle is very hard to perfect very few people have she has not perfected it but is a good player.
'Tis difficult to equate entertainments, but better A Violin than another air-guitar. The numbing and dumbing of music culture is beyond repair during an era where instant gratification prevails.
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October 1, 2014 at 08:25 PM · I watched her performance on AGT, and as someone who has danced and played professionally (though not at the same time!) I thought she was really pretty good.
I think the problem is this American mind set that you Must pick one thing, and darnit, you had better be the best. I went through the same thing and true enough, I got burnt out, and left a lot of opportunities on the table.
So, I have a question, since I believe a lot of this is cultural. Why is the violinist from Celtic Woman allowed to dance and twirl onstage without a peep from anyone, and Ms. Stirling vilified for doing basically the same thing from all sides? Laurie, would love to hear from you.