Hi there, for the first time in this blog, and probably for the last, there’s a note in English here. I know that, there are some crazy people [1] who don’t speak French but who even come here, sometimes with google translate to have a look.

But this time, it is not for that, but just because I have had the crazy chance to interview Lindsey Stirling, I must put it here, in its original version too. Because at least, there was a big work of multi-translation French to English and English to French [2]

I would like to thank Jennifer Fletcher who made that possible ; and now, please sit down and read this interview.

• How long have you been enjoying dancing and playing music ?

Since I was six, so…22 years!?

• What did you find attracting in it ?

I remember seeing the violin on Sesame Street, and my dad used to take us to free orchestra concerts all the time.  I noticed early-on that the violinists had all the “cool” parts, and so by age six I was literally begging my parents for lessons.

• Are you rather fish or meat ?     

I love Sushi, but generally I prefer a little bit of meat (chicken or beef) to fish.  I am not a vegetarian by any means but I don’t eat a ton of meat either.

• Do you eat/drink anything while composing music ?

  I like to snack on things like fruit and nuts and maybe some crackers, but my favorite thing to snack on is cereal.  I’m definitely a cereal addict!

• Where do you compose ? When ? Why ? In the strict silence or with noise around you ?

I usually create a backtrack with a producer first, and then spend the next several days brainstorming and experimenting with different melodies.  It’s crazy; sometimes when I’m stumped or get writer’s block, I’ll have a dream about what I’m working on and wake up with a clear idea of the melody I need to write.  So quite literally, I often compose in my sleep.

• Do you still have a song/dance/composition from your childhood ?

I made up some simple melodies as a kid, of course, and I recorded an album with the band “Stomp on Melvin” when I was in high school.  But I actually wrote my first violin solo composition for the America’s Junior Miss pageant.

• You are pretty gifted with your hands and body, for dancing and playing violon. But in the everyday life, are you a clumzy Smurf or a Goddess of Hability ?

I’d definitely say clumsy Smurf; ask anyone who knows me (I’m a total nerd!)

• In the creation process, do you have any routines, things which always happen in the same order or is it each time different ?

I’m pretty easy going, random, and tend to do things at the last minute, and I work really well under pressure.  I don’t necessarily have a routine, though I usually go through a similar process to get from conceptual beginning to completed track.  Sometimes I think of a story or a concept, and I move forward to create a song based on that “feeling” or idea.  Other times I literally just get together with a producer and start experimenting with different sounds until we come up with something I really like.  Over the next several days I then experiment with my violin.  If I can come up with a melody to put over the track that I absolutely love, it’s a winner!  If nothing is really working for me/coming to me, I put the track aside and start over. 

• What do your friends/family/cat think about your work ?

Well I don’t have any cats 😛 but my family especially loves my stuff…at least they say they do (they’d better!) But in all honesty, I love that I can go to my family and they give constructive criticism/feedback; Stirling’s are a pretty honest bunch.  So when they tell me they love something I’ve done, they really mean it.  I couldn’t ask for a more supportive family.  I know they love me and that they’d do just about anything for me if I needed them.

• A little pic of your spacework ?

I don’t really have a specific place where I compose, but if you want an idea of what it might have looked like when I used to do pretty much EVERYTHING for my music videos (props, costumes, music, managing, directing, producing), picture a room with the floor covered in cloth, papers, half-packed suitcases, half-finished costumes draped over an un-made bed, several violin cases, and a bowl of half-eaten cereal on the floor.  In other words, “creativity meets tornado.” 

• Talking about spacework, do you rather work in happy mess or in a clean and tidy room ?

Happy mess!

• When you are famous and mistress of the world (more than today), what will be the first thing you will do ?

Book a world tour!

• If you could redo from scratch, would you do the same things in the same way ?

I’ve made LOTS of mistakes, and of course it would have made my life easier had I done some things differently, but I wouldn’t want to give back any of the things I’ve learned from those mistakes either.  So I guess the answer is “yes”…I would do things the same if I could go back.  But would I move forward and intentionally make those same mistakes again?  Absolutely not.  Because that’s the whole point of making mistakes: to learn from them.

• What’s the best/worst thing which happened to you with your artist job ?

I’ve been able to live my dream, tour the world, share my music, and meet thousands of amazing people all over this amazing planet!  I feel incredibly blessed and humbled that I have had this incredible opportunity.  The worst part about what I do is probably transitioning from “tour mode” to “home mode.”  Performing live in front of thousands of people every night is what I love doing most, and incredibly high-energy, tons of adrenaline haha; I just love it!  So when that all comes to a sudden halt and I’m living a fairly normal life at home, it can be quite a let-down and I have to make a point of reminding myself of all the things I’m grateful for; the people and family and friends that make “normal” life wonderful in and of itself.

• When you look at the world, do you   see it « deformed » by your knowledge in music or your      celebrity or whatever ?

I think that traveling the world has made me more aware of how much people are affected by the culture they live in, in mostly good ways and in maybe some not-so-good ways too.  Just a general observation.

• Would you like to share a message    with your Belgian and french-speaking fans ?

Thank you so much for all of your support; you’ve been amazing fans and I can’t wait to come back to perform in Belgium again!

• Laglue’s question (Laglue is a girl of 10 years old) : in the    whole family, is there anybody who’s playing music or dancing ?

Yes, my sisters and I all learned instruments growing up. Brooke plays the cello, and my sister Jennifer plays trumpet.  She performs in this group currently: Millennial, but I’ve been unable to attend any of her concerts because they always land in the middle of my tours haha; I’ve heard the group is amazing though. My mom used to love to dance, but currently I’m the only dancer in the family 😛
 

[1] Hello, FUHA team
[2] So that those who don’t speak French may also have this interview