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I recently had the great pleasure of attending a Lindsey Stirling concert promoting her new album Brave Enough, and it was awesome! For those who don’t know, Lindsey Stirling is a world-famous violinist who often combines her wicked fiddling with hip hop/dubstep influences and choreography. She was a quarter finalist on “America’s Got Talent,” and though the judges said her performances weren’t “enough to fill a theater in Vegas,” she has gone on to huge success. For the record, the arts center where she performed was sold out. Take that, judges!
In addition to movies, I love music fusion, especially combining classical with electronic pop, and Lindsey Stirling does it beautifully. Aside from the fact that she’s lovely and probably my first celebrity crush, I admire her as a person far more than most of the stars out there. That’s why I had to see her live in what was honestly my first concert. With the availability of music nowadays, there aren’t many music acts I’d pay to see, but Lindsey Stirling was worth it and put on a fantastic show. Not to oversell it, but it’s probably one of the new high points in my life.
Still giddy from the show, I wanted to offer my Top Twelve of her songs. She’s collaborated with quite a few other artists (“Radioactive” with Pentatonix, for example), but I’m excluding collaborations and cover medleys, though they are awesome too (especially those for “Lord of the Rings” and “Phantom of the Opera,” the latter of which ended the concert as a great encore). Her dancing and violin playing are impressive enough, clearly the result of relentless practice, but the fact that she can also create original music both beautiful and dance-worthy just confirms how amazing she is. Can you tell I like her?
- “Song of the Caged Bird” from Lindsey Stirling (self-titled album)
Like the video, this track has a growing magic and beauty.
- “Take Flight” from Shatter Me
An enchanting song for one of her most visually arresting videos.
- “Anti Gravity” from Lindsey Stirling
A great title for such a swirling beat that ranges across the musical spectrum.
- “Spontaneous Me” from Lindsey Stirling
They’re all beautiful, but I’m more partial to the upbeat tracks like this one and most of what follows.
- “Electric Daisy Violin” from Lindsey Stirling
Lively and vibrant – classic Lindsey.
- “Minimal Beat” from Lindsey Stirling
This one may start out sounding like any number of her songs, but it becomes more dynamic as it continues.
- “Transcendence” from Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey played this at the concert right after discussing her battle with anorexia, and her encouraging honesty lent its high-speed strains even more power than the symbolic video.
- “Shadows” from Lindsey Stirling
Probably the purest example of her talent and one of her catchiest tunes.
- “Something Wild” from Brave Enough and Pete’s Dragon (2016)
You know I never compile a list without some kind of movie reference, and during the concert, Lindsey mentioned how Disney reached out to her for a song for the remake of Pete’s Dragon. Not only does it feature Andrew McMahon for vocals, but it also boasts inspiring lyrics and a gorgeous Celtic-inspired melody that instantly became a new favorite of mine. I wish the Academy would give this a nod for Best Song.
- “Stars Align” from Lindsey Stirling
Going into the concert, I already knew what my top 3 were, and I was thrilled that she played them all. “Stars Align” may not be one of her most popular tracks, but its dubstep mixture is toe-tapping and almost otherworldly. One of the few to feature Lindsey’s vocals too.
- “Roundtable Rival” from Shatter Me
Many of her videos place the power of her violin against, say, video game thugs or giant monsters, and this Old West string battle against a guitar-wielding outlaw is nothing short of spectacular. This was easily the most energizing song of the night and got the crowd pumped. I remember three guys in the front rows jumping around going nuts (fun to watch, not so much to sit behind), but who could blame them with such an awesome song?
- “Moon Trance” from Lindsey Stirling
I have loved this song and video since the first time I saw it, and it was the second song she played! Not-so-great acting in the music video aside, it’s a jamming homage (not a rip-off) to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with vigorous choreography and a spirited, memorable tune to boot. Violin vs. zombies? Violin wins every time.
It was really hard narrowing down her songs to these twelve, so here are several others undoubtedly worth a listen. As a well-deserved YouTube phenomenon, Lindsey Stirling already has a devoted fan base (me included), and I only hope that her popularity continues to grow. Thank you for a fantastic experience, Lindsey, and God bless!
“The Arena”
“Ascendance”
“Celtic Carol” (This may be a Christmas medley, but it feels like its own song.)
“Crystallize” (my VC’s favorite)
“Elements”
“Master of Tides”
“Mirror Haus”
“Night Vision”
“Prism”
“River Flows in You”
“Shatter Me”
“V-Pop”
“We Are Giants”
“Zi-Zi’s Journey”
Rhyme and Reason 
Ah, so that’s why she was who you invited to the Christmas in July party last year. 😉
I love listening to her stuff, especially at work. “Spontaneous Me” is my favorite from her debut album and “Shatter Me” and “Roundtable Revival” are my favorites from her second album. I like her Legend of Zelda medley a lot, too, but her Phantom of the Opera medley is probably my favorite song of hers (so far).
Glad to know you’re another fan! I knew we had good taste. 🙂 It’s great music to code by, isn’t it?
I love those medleys too, and the list would definitely look different if I’d included all of her songs.
What does a list of your favorite songs from her look like if you included all of her songs?
I excluded her cover songs to showcase her original music, but overall I’d probably have to include the Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables medleys. I also really love how she did the themes to Game of Thrones and Skyrim with Peter Hollins.
I heard her stuff at a book store and then again at a dance club but never knew her name until now. Good stuff. I really like the track Shatter Me
Oh have u heard of Emile Autumn. She plays what’s known as Gothic Metal Violin. She is really talented and has a great sense of humor too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjuewcoPRWE
Wow, I’d never heard of her, but she is really talented too. Like an electric guitar solo on a violin. Thanks, Vern!