Lindsey Stirling – The Only Pirate At The Party
Okay, be honest, what do you think of when you think of a violin? I can bet that, for most of you, “hip-hop” and “dancing” don’t even come close to the forefront, if they come up at all. Well, today, I’d like to introduce you to an artist who will change all that. Her name is Lindsey Stirling, and she is off-the-scale awesome. How did I come to know about her? Well, it all started when I was looking around the Guide Magazine website and I came across a post about her. Contained in this post was a link to her YouTube page. I clicked on that link, and I was lost.
If you watched America’s Got Talent‘s season five, you may have seen the wonderful Lindsey Stirling. In 2010, she preformed as a quarter-finalist, however she didn’t make it any further. But, instead of losing heart, she got right back up and, not too long after AGT, filmed her first music video for her original song “Spontaneous Me”. She soon began regular music videos for her YouTube channel, which has had over 675 million views and at least seven million subscribers. I know I have at least 200 or so views tagged with my name… Her first album, which was self-titled, was released on CD in September 2012. That album sold over 350,000 copies in the US alone. Her second album, Shatter Me, was released in April of 2014 in the US. What’s interesting is that I heard a part of one of the songs in Shatter Me, “Beyond the Veil,” at Target long before hearing about Lindsey, and when I heard that melody in her music video, I almost cried. She has done four tours to date, two of them being world tours. And, to top it all off, she’s coming out with a third album!!!! I own both of her current albums and a few colaberations on iTunes, and I can’t wait to add this one to my “collection.”
Anyways, enough with the talking. Let’s get to the music! I’m going to put up one of my favorites from Lindsey Stirling’s YouTube page, Lindseystomp, for your enjoyment. Master of Tides was the first video I saw all the way through. From there, I was hooked.
Just recently, I managed to buy (read: track down) Lindsey’s autobiography, The Only Pirate At The Party, which was written by Lindsey herself and her sister, Brooke S. Passey. First impression? That is one of the most unique book titles I have ever seen. Second impression? I have found that Lindsey Stirling is even more awesome than she looks (if that’s possible). For one, she is a Mormon. Yep, you heard right. Lindsey is a Christian, and as a Christian, I admire her for being so open with her faith. For a second, she is not perfect. She has suffered a lot, including an eating disorder and being insulted on national television. Lindsey is quirky, and that shows in her book. Here’s a sample from the first chapter, “Cross Your Eyes And Dot Your Tees: A Pirate’s Intro”:
Pirates rarely shower, have a random and effortlessly cool sense of style, and if you turn a blind eye to all the plundering, they are really just in search of “treasure.” I can relate to all these things. More than anything, though, I have always admired the pirate attitude. Pirates don’t take orders or ask permission. They do what they want. Allow me to clarify. If your mom asks you to do the dishes, DO NOT pull out your pirate attitude. But if someone tells you you’re not good enough, says your dreams are too lofty, or claims there is no room in showbiz for a dancing violinist-well then, by all means, pull out your eye patch, my friend, and take to the high seas. (That’s my way of saying do it anyway.)
Lindsey’s book is filled with stuff like this, covering everything from her childhood to her journey with her violin. However, one of the things that stood out to me the most was the very next sentence.
The reason people said that I would never succeed is the very reason I did succeed: because I am different.
It takes a lot of guts to say that you’re different, and Lindsey has all of them. I applaud her for her differences, and the fact that she has used them to make such an impact on the world.
So, yep, I’m a Stirlingite and I’m proud of it (Stirlingites are official fans of Lindsey Stirling, like Swifties or Trekies or something else like that). Are you a Stirlingite? What is your favorite song/video? What do you admire most about her? Let me know!
Note: I got all this information from Wikipedia, Lindsey’s official website, and her book, which you can find here. All the above videos/music belong to Lindsey Stirling. I just own a copy of her book, which I bought with my own money. I only want to share Lindsey’s awesomeness with my readers.
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