Classically trained violinist Lindsey Stirling dreamed of being first chair in a major orchestra.
Or maybe a rock violinist in a band.
Or maybe a bit of both with some ballet and Irish jiggly dance choreography.
But YouTube sensation with videos whose lowest viewership — in the low millions — is higher than many YouTubers’ most popular videos? Yep, didn’t see that one coming.
“I definitely did not see this,” said Stirling, 27, who grew up in Gilbert and made it into the quarterfinals of the 2010 “America’s Got Talent” contest before being shot down by judge Piers Morgan. “It’s been this progression of realizing it’s OK to think outside of the box.”
Stirling, who makes her Tucson debut at the Rialto Theatre on Monday, started her career on YouTube (Lindseystomp) performing original dub-step, electronica-influenced instrumental songs while dancing in videos she created; she studied film at Brigham Young University. The videos, including collaborations with John Legend (“All of Me”) and Pentatonix (cover of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive”), attract audiences in the tens of millions: 70 million-plus for “Radioactive,” 21.4 million for “All of Me.” Her channel as of April had 600 million views and 4 million subscribers.
Early this month she released her sophomore album “Shatter Me,” which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s album charts. We caught up with her last week, and this is what she had to say about the album, her career and coming home.
“Shatter”: “I was hoping for the best and I knew I had a shot to do well, but I was not expecting for it to be No. 2 on the Billboard charts. That was so cool. ... I’m so blessed and I can’t believe I’m actually living the dream I had for so long.”
She can dance and play the violin — at the same time: “When I started trying to dance and play at the same time, the first time it was just so seemingly impossible and I was like. ‘Oh, there is a reason that nobody does this — because it’s impossible!’ I started very simply ... really choreographing every step in the beginning so that muscle memory would kick in eventually. … And now I can jump and twirl and spin and improvise.”
Familiar faces, familiar places: “We ended (the first tour) in Phoenix and after going around the entire country and playing in front of crowds where I didn’t see a single face I recognized, and then we went to Phoenix and I saw my high school best friend in the front row and my mom and dad on the other side of the stage. My sister and my college roommate. ... It was such a surreal and amazing moment.”
Ice cream and board games: “When I come to Arizona, I go to Gilbert to my parents’ house. My sisters will come over. My mother will buy my favorite … chocolate chip cookie dough Blue Bell ice cream and we’ll play games. And that is what Arizona is to me.”
Pinch me, this can’t be real: “I couldn’t be happier, and I really mean that. I feel so incredibly blessed. … I just can’t believe that everything is just working because for a long time I basically thought I was pulling on closed door after closed door.”
