Lindsey Stirling

At the age of five she started violin lessons where she gained valuable knowledge on music theory and classical music. By the time she was 16 she was playing violin in a rock band in Arizona. While in the band she wrote a solo violin rock song that won her the Spirit Award in the America’s Junior Miss Finals competition. In 2010 Lindsey Stirling started to catch audiences’ attention with her performances on the television show “America’s Got Talent”. Although she did not win the competition for “America’s Got Talent”, she did catch the eye of cinematographer Devin Graham, who would later help her make music videos for her songs that would launch her career.

Devin and Lindsey started to film her music videos in 2011 and released “Spontaneous Me” as her first video. The video immediately gathered a following, which caused a continuation of filming music videos and releasing them on YouTube. Not before long Lindsey had millions of people interested in her music through her YouTube videos and has already had over 519 million views for her videos. In 2012 YouTube announced that her music video for “Crystallize” was the No. 8 most viewed video of the year with over 42 million views.

Lindsey Stirling released her self-titled debut album in 2012, which would go on to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard’s Classical Albums and Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The album was a massive success in Europe earning platinum certifications in places like Austria and Germany. The album was also well received by critics who enjoyed the unique combination of mixing in traditional classical music with modern sounds of hip-hop and dubstep.

In 2014 Lindsey Stirling released her second studio album “Shatter Me”. The album was met with great success and reached the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. The album contained a more progressive style of music than her debut album, and it featured the hits “Beyond the Veil” and “Shatter Me”. The album also featured several collaborations with vocalists such as Lzzy Hale and Dia Frampton.

Lindsey Stirling has also released several cover songs that have caught mainstream attention. Her cover of the song “Radioactive” with Pentatonix was highly successful and won her the award for “Response of the Year” for the YouTube Music Awards. She is also well recognized for her cover songs of various video games and movie theme songs. Her collaborations with other musicians are also quite impressive, which show her teaming up with John Legend, Tay Monday, and Sam Tsui.

The touring schedule for Lindsey Stirling clearly conveys that she is a busy performer. She has been touring since the release of her debut album and has made appearances on some late night television shows to promote her music such as “Conan”. Her tours have taken her all over the world to such places like Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland. She has played a 21,000-seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City, US and has sold out numerous venues across the US. Lindsey Stirling’s strong work ethic and immense talent has clearly pushed her into stardom, and her creativity continues to be recognized through her many awards from such institutions as the Billboard Music Awards, German Echo Music Awards, and Streamy Awards.

The band started life in 2005, after former neighbours Tyler Glenn (vocals, keyboards) and Chris Allen (guitar, vocals) moved from Southern California to Provo, Utah. Later, Branden Campbell (bass guitar, vocals) and Elaine Bradley (drums, percussion, vocals) joined, forming the four piece act. All the members of Neon Trees are part of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints, with their religious beliefs being a significant influence in their lyrical content.

Neon Trees were given their big break after The Killers' drummer, Ronnie Vanucci Jr. went to see the band play. Impressed, the drummer from The Killers chose the band to support them on a number of dates during their 2008 North American tour, exposing Neon Trees yo a whole host of new fans and listeners.

The band released their debut album on Mercury/Def Jam records in 2010, titled "Habits." The release was a moderate success, with their lead single "Animal" featured as the Itunes free single of the week. With a performance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and the 'Tonight Show with Jay Leno' they gained further exposure, gaining more fans in the process.

Their brand of disco rock which collides with radio-friendly new wave has a definite David Bowie influence, featuring many mainstream-friendly hooks that entice the listener. Their single, "Everybody Talks" was a popular hit from their second album "Picture Show" (2012) and featured on a number of television programs.

In 2014, Neon Trees released "Pop Psychology," their third studio album, which was a more polished affair, with "Sleeping With a Friend" becoming a popular hit. Lead singer Glenn came out publicly as gay before the album was released, making the record all the more poignant, revealing a sense of soul searching that seemed to be a prominent theme throughout the album.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Newham trained as a classical cellist from the age of four and taught herself how to play the piano and guitar. She wrote and performed her first songs at the age of 16 and moved to the U.S. to attend the Interlochen Centre for the Arts in Michigan, U.S. in 2007. After graduating from the school Newham attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston where she met producer Peter Thomas and the two began collaborating and developing Newham’s sound.

The singer’s recording debut came in 2012 with the single “Somebody Loves You” co-written by Newham and Thomas immediately after the songstress Whitney Houston’s death. The song became popular in the blogosphere and did the singer's reputation the world of good due to the track’s relatable nostalgia and contemporary edge. With a similar songwriting vein to Joni Mitchell and Carole King, Newham released her debut EP “The Movement” in 2013, which due to the online appeal garnered lots of attention from major labels.

Newham followed “The Movement” with the brassy, R&B infused “Slow Dancing” EP in spring 2014 which reached the No. 1 spot on the iTunes pop music chart. The singer’s debut album “Take Me When You Go” appeared on October 7, 2014 and features the singles “Heartbreak Dream” and “All of You”.