Lindsey Stirling

by Talitha Holland

Lindsey Stirling, a violinist, dancer and editing genius, is one of today's rising stars. Almost always on tour and is just like you and me. Quirky, fun, and down-to-earth. She started out as a normal girl with a reading problem at school with a father, mother and two sisters. Then when she got to college she started to play her violin and dance at the same time. "I picture myself on the stage with my bow in the air. I feel my heart racing, see the faces in the audience smiling, and I remember the moment I thought I have to make this my life." (Lindsey Stirling, The Only Pirate at The Party)

She was born on September 21, 1986. Had a normal childhood and teen years. Then, at 16, she was invited to play her violin in a band called Stomp on Melvin. An all boy band that her parents didn't exactly enjoy. She played with them for a while and then she noticed she was stiff while playing. So, she started to dance while playing. "I've always loved the violin, rock n' roll and creating, when I put the two together, it was like magic." She went to college and she developed an eating disorder. Which some think is just not eating enough and starving yourself. But those are just symptoms. And the battle is much bigger.For the longest time she kept this to herself and didn't think that it was such a big deal. Then she started becoming depressed. "I felt like I was in a cage, watching, but unable to experience anything. Something had gone missing. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it." Finally, she found help and although she's still struggling she can be herself again.

She loved the stage, and, after a while, it learned to love her. She started playing small gigs at odd places. Then she played on America's Got Talent (AGT) and lost. She built up her courage again and started from scratch. When she played on AGT she got a lot of airtime and almost everyone knew her now. Then she made music videos on YouTube and one day someone emailed her from Italy and, to her surprise, she was the main event! Her popularity shot through the roof, and she went on tour after tour. And her life has been doing the thing she loves ever since.