Interview by Alitzia Tyminski – Lindsey Stirling is an electronic violinist, dancer, and artist who has humbly become one of the 21st century’s most innovative stars. Her groundbreaking vision has gained her millions of adoring fans worldwide, four Billboard chart-topping albums, and two Billboard Music Awards including Top Dance/Electronic Album for her third studio release, Brave Enough. Her holiday album, Warmer in Winter, catapulted to the #1 spot on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes Holiday Album charts upon release and lead single Carol of the Bells made history as the only instrumental song ever to reach the Top 10 at AC Radio.
Lindsey has amassed over 12.5 million subscribers, nearly three billion views on YouTube, three million followers on TikTok, and over 500k user generated creations across TikTok and Instagram reels. In addition to this, Forbes placed her at #4 on its 2015 World’s Top-Earning YouTube Stars list and her fifth-studio album, Artemis, debuted at #1 on the Dance/Electronic Album Chart. Stirling has performed for more than 800,000 people on her headline tours, and her co-headline tour with Evanescence was named one of Live Nation’s best-selling amphitheater tours of 2018.
Lindsey took a few moments of her time to have a chat with us.
Snow Waltz was recorded in Los Angeles with long time Grammy nominated producer Gladius, what made you decide to work with Gladius?
Oh man I’ve known Gladius for years. We’ve written stuff on my last two projects together. He gets the sound especially, he has a very whimsical sound that he can tap into when he wants to.
After we wrote one song and did one arrangement together for the album, we did another one and then we did another one! Before I knew it I was like hey put your magical touch on all of these songs! It was perfect.
The track, “Snow Waltz” has been described as a perfect combination between Halloween and Christmas by fans, was that intentional?
It was! When I was going in to write that song, the producers that I was working with that day we just started talking about how much we love Harry Potter and then we talked about Harry Potter for half an hour.
So then we’re like well Harry Potter it feels kind of Christmasey but also has a bit of a spooky feeling to it with the magic and all the witches and everything. And so we’re like we should make a song that kind of has that same feeling where it’s a little bit dark but it’s also sparkly and you know we can make it fit both holidays.
As we were writing it I got the idea for the music video, this sounds like skeletons, these little pizzicatos and what if skeletons were experiencing Christmas for the first time and their royal hall of holidays.
It kind of unfolded very naturally. I love Halloween, I love Christmas and I think that sometimes the two overlap and people get angry about that but I’m like well let’s celebrate how that sometimes happens, let’s make both make sense.
What is your most memorable Christmas moment?
There is my childhood memories growing up that are so special, the holidays are so special as a child. It’s so funny the ones that stick out from childhood because they’re almost ridiculous, I mean they are ridiculous because the mind of this child that doesn’t always care what is supposed to be special.
The one that sticks out, I remember I was really into the TY Beanie Baby craze if you remember those! My sister and I, we had a list of all the ones we wanted the most and the ones that were like the retired ones that you can no longer get and you know what not. My mom shopped all over town and got us this box of individually wrapped beanie babies and they were some of the ones on our list, the retired ones. There is a video out there, actually I should find that video! It is so funny!
I was also a little too old, I was like 12 my sister was 9, she was the perfect age to be super excited about beanie babies I’m like a 12 year old, a pre-teen and I’m freaking out, it’s the cutest funniest video. Honestly that was the most memorable gift I ever got! (Laughs)
I remember when they were selling them on Ebay and were worth a lot of money. (Laughs)
Oh my gosh, they were starting to be so expensive and they were like in twenty years they’ll be worth this much! I have a box, a huge box of beanie babies still at my mom’s house that’s probably worth five dollars, all of them together. (Laughs)
The album Snow Waltz consists of Christmas standards and original tracks, what is your personal all-time favorite Christmas song or Christmas song covered by an artist?
My favorite Christmas album is definitely Michael Buble, well I say definitely! I just love Michael Buble so much! His voice is Christmas to me. I think Trans-Siberian Orchestra version of “Carol Of The Bells” was my favorite Christmas song growing up and that’s one of the reasons I really wanted to make a special version when I did my last Christmas album. I have to do this song just because it’s my favorite, that was a fun challenge to try and tackle. I love Mannheim Steamroller as well, that is another all-time favorite Christmas album. Those are some of my favorite classics.
On the album Snow Waltz you collaborate with David Archuleta on the track, “Magic”, “Crazy For Christmas” with Bonnie McKee and “Christmas Time With You” featuring Frawley, what inspired you to work with them?
Bonnie McKee is one of the most legendary writers in the business, we have been friends for years and it was really great to be able to work with her and finally do a song together. I love her artist project as well. She sang the demo and she said who do you want to sing it and I said I want you to sing it! I love Bonnie! It was fun to get to work with her not only as a writer but as an artist.
Frawley, same thing, she was on my Christmas special several years ago it was really cool to do a full circle moment and get to do an original song with her.
Magic, I was writing it with Gladius actually and as we were writing it we had just written the chorus that’s it and I turned to him and I’m like, David Archuleta has to sing this! I love David Archuleta, this is meant for his voice. I was so glad that worked out he was able to do it and especially that song in particular, I think it’s one of my favorite songs on the whole album, it’s one of my favorite originals I have ever written I think especially a vocal song. I was really happy with that one and how it came together.
What can fans expect for your upcoming tour next month?
Oooo! I am so excited for the tour! I have been working on it for months already in terms of planning the creative, planning the costumes and I am already starting to go into rehearsals.
I just hope that people feel all the magic and you know the things that I like I hope they feel, I hope they get all those warm fuzzies, I hope they laugh, I hope they feel wowed in moments, that’s what I always hope for my shows, I want it be really dimensional that people get all the different kinds of feelings, I want them to be surprised.
More than anything I want to people leave feeling this sense of like you know I can go out there and be what I want to be. I can go out there and I can find joy or I can try something new in my life, tackle that challenge I always wanted to try or that hobby I always wanted to learn.
I just want people to leave feeling a little bit more like they can do the things they want to do in life.
I’m super excited about it! I have been practicing my little aerial routine that I am going to do, I go in a hoop and I do a number in a hoop on a trapeze. It’s a newer skill to me, it’s really exciting to be prepping for something new on stage.
What are you listening to right now? Is there a band or artist that you’re listening to right now that would shock fans?
I listen to a lot more podcasts and books than I do music, that might shock people. But an artist I have been really liking lately is Ava Max. I think she is so fun, I think she does pop right. The way that I like pop. Everybody has got their senses, I like those big melody pop songs. Ava Max is probably the artist I am listening to the most. Outside of that, I really love Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. I think he is so funny, that’s such a funny podcast.
Speaking of podcasts, you have a podcast of your own The Upside featured every Wednesday at 5pm PT on Amp Radio, is there someone on your bucket list that you would like to interview?
I would love to interview Ava Max, I have been listening to her a lot lately. She just seems like she is so much fun.
Also, I think The Chainsmokers are hilarious, I never met them but I’ve enjoyed watching them pop up on my page on TikTok, they’re actually quite creative and funny, they’re really great at that self-deprecating humour so I was like I would love to interview The Chainsmokers because their persona that I always thought they were I’m starting to realize is not and what I find really interesting when people seem to have these different layers of personality!
You have a makeup line, Intentional Beauty which has an eyeshadow palette infused with crystals such as Citrine. As a crystal lover and for crystal enthusiasts out there, what are your favorite crystals? Do you take crystals with you on tour?
I do love crystals, I believe so much that the earth provides tools for us, we’re affected by the elements that we’re around and the energy we’re around, I’m very hippie and woo woo like that, I like that about myself. (Laughs)
Citrine is actually one of my favorite crystals just because I think it’s one of joy. I also like Rose Quartz a lot because it’s for the heart and I think that’s our strongest chakra, you know that’s our strongest energy if we can pull from those heart feelings like gratitude and love, it can change the game.
I usually have a Rose Quartz with me on tour. I like Labradorite, it blocks negative energies dun dun duuuun! (Laughs) Those crystals are my favorites.
Do you have any plans for 2023? And for our Canadian readers, any plans to come to Canada?
I am so sad that we’re not coming to Canada this tour, usually I like to sprinkle it in to my US run. My agent just said it’s not going to work this year which makes me really sad. But hopefully next year! I think we’re going to make it happen. I have to leave the US next year tour wise! I’ve got too many places that I need to go see people and perform for! Plans are definitely in the works to hopefully tour Canada next year. We’re looking at touring a lot next year and I’m also working on new music to hopefully release next year as a new original album. I’m hitting the ground running, I’m working hard!
Thank you for meeting with Amplify Music Magazine, so lovely talking to you Lindsey and wishing you all the best with the tour!
