Where is Lindsay Stirling now? Inside the life of the violinist who went viral

Lindsey Stirling rose to fame by performing a unique combination of dance, dubstep, and electric violin.

She broke out in 2012 when her music video for the song “Crystalize” went viral. At the end of the video, Sterling called the song an “experiment” and asked viewers if they should continue the quest.

The answer is clear in Sterling’s career, which has spanned more than a decade of playing shows, releasing original music, and collaborating with Sabrina Carpenter on a cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in 2018.

The previous year, she participated in season 25 of Dancing with the Stars, where she and her partner Mark Ballas were runners-up.

Throughout his career, Sterling has remained open about his personal struggles and used his platform to advocate for mental health awareness. She has been open about her experiences with eating disorders, anxiety, and heartbreak. I explored that in depth on my 2024 album Duality.

More than a decade after she first made headlines, Sterling’s life looks different, including a change in her faith in new music. Here’s everything you need to know about Lindsay Stirling’s current status.

Is Sterling still on YouTube?

More than a decade after going viral, Sterling still has a strong social media presence.

Her YouTube channel has over 14 million subscribers and continues to host new music uploads from Sterling.

In addition to continuing to post, Sterling is actively involved in creating content for the channel from start to finish. She admitted that she just recently hired someone to help her conceptualize and edit the video for 2024’s Going There with Dr. Mike.

“I still edit all my music videos because I think it’s really fun,” Sterling said. “I have a bit of a talent for editing. I love editing so much that I minored in film.”

How has Sterling’s music evolved?

Sterling’s music has evolved significantly over the course of his career, shaped by a desire to move beyond the constraints of classical performance and explore a more personal, genre-blending sound. Early in her journey, she recalled the transformation that began when she played a rock song for the first time after years of classical training.

“I remember the first time I wrote and performed a little rock song, and I had only played classical music before, and I remember playing it and making people smile,” she said on Going There with Dr. Mike. “It was a new feeling of, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do, I want to make people smile.'”

Sterling has since embraced a wide range of styles, from rock and hip-hop to classical and Christmas music, while maintaining a foundation in electronic sounds.

Beyond music, Stirling continues to expand his artistry. During the pandemic, she began training in aerial acrobatics, which she incorporated into her live performances by 2023. Stirling said the addition felt like a natural connection to circus arts.

“There are circus people and there are non-circus people,” Sterling told the James Lane Post in 2023. “The spirit of people who go to circuses is someone who is quite adventurous, very curious, and willing to just try different things and fail over and over again until they figure out how to create something that they probably haven’t done before in their career. That’s why I love and empathize with circus people so much.”

How has Stirling’s faith changed?

Sterling’s relationship with her faith has evolved significantly over the years, moving from her early identity as a devout Mormon to a more personal expression of her spirituality.

During a 2010 appearance on America’s Got Talent, Sterling spoke openly about his experience as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, in 2017, the violinist stated in a Facebook comment that he was no longer a Mormon.

“I’m not a Mormon, but I’m Catholic. I believe God is in every home,” she wrote. Sterling has since looked back on his time as a missionary in New York City and compared it to the large audience he now reaches through music.

“Hardly one person a week would listen to what I had to share,” she wrote in a 2019 Facebook post. “As a little missionary, I never imagined that within 10 years more than a billion people would be listening to what I had to say.”

Sterling has continued to explore and express his faith through art, including in 2022 when he co-produced “O Holy Night” with the Christian series “The Chosen One,” which tells the story of Jesus.

Where is Sterling on her health journey?

Sterling has spoken candidly about her battle with anorexia and how her relationship with health has changed over time. She explained in Going There with Dr. Mike that her eating disorder stems from a need for control.

“My whole life I’ve dealt with control in really unhealthy ways. I didn’t even realize it until I was in my early 20s, when I learned I had anorexia. Anorexia is a disease that comes from wanting to control things in your life,” she said.

At the time, Sterling was studying to become a therapist and working at a rehabilitation facility for teenage girls, many of whom suffered from eating disorders. Despite facing this problem, she said it took her a long time to realize her condition.

Sterling eventually sought help while attending Brigham Young University, first contacting a campus counselor.

Over time, Ms. Sterling has developed strategies to stay healthy and manage her triggers. “Every time you feel stressed or out of control in your life, you try to get back on track,” she says. “But I don’t really enjoy it anymore.”

Stirling also uses music as a creative outlet to process his experiences. Her second album includes the song “Shatter Me,” which personifies her eating disorder as a ballerina trapped inside a snow globe, reflecting her ongoing recovery journey.

Who is Sterling dating now?

Mr Sterling last publicly announced his relationship with ex-girlfriend Ryan Weed. The two dated for more than a year before she announced their breakup while appearing on Dancing with the Stars in 2017. On the show, she opened up about her romantic goals after a difficult breakup.

“I wanted to start a family and I thought I was almost ready to take the next step,” she said.

In 2024, Sterling revealed to PEOPLE that the song “Survive” from her album Duality was inspired by the end of a recent relationship that featured betrayal.

“I found out my boyfriend had been cheating on me for months. He had another girlfriend. It was outrageous,” she said.

The track echoes the iconic chorus of Gloria Gaynor’s breakup anthem “I Will Survive.” Later that year, Sterling performed a mashup of the two songs with Gaynor himself at Radio City Music Hall. Reflecting on the moment, Sterling posted on Facebook: “This instantly shot to the top of my life’s highlight reel. Thank you Gloria Gaynor for joining me.”

Currently, Sterling appears to be single and appears to be single on the app. The performer shared a playful Instagram post in February 2025 that featured a merry-go-round of photos, including selfies, behind-the-scenes shots from performances, and a photo of herself wearing a disco ball on her head. In her caption, she asked her followers to guess which photo was posted on her dating profile.

Where is Sterling now?

Sterling is still performing and releasing new music and shows no signs of slowing down.

In addition to her music career, Sterling partnered with Yamaha in 2021 to release a custom violin called Crystallize, named after her first viral YouTube video. According to her website, the design was inspired by the first full-size violin she made.

Stirling’s work was also featured in the 2024 Olympics. American gymnast Suni Lee used her song “Eye of the Untold Her” for her floor routine. Stirling learned the story of a gymnast who found her passion again after kidney disease threatened her career, and described the emotional moment she watched Lee perform from her tour bus.

“She’s a warrior and has overcome a lot to get back to the Olympics,” Sterling told PEOPLE. “Suni really embodies the message of what my song was written for and performed it so magically.”

In addition to music, Sterling has started a nonprofit organization called The Upside Fund that focuses on helping people pay off medical debt and advocating for accessible health care and mental health resources, according to the organization’s website. The organization reports that it has eliminated more than $15 million in medical debt and partnered with the National Eating Disorders Alliance to support therapy and support groups.

In a 2024 interview with Music and Arts Presents, Sterling said performance remains central to her work. “I still love it. I’m still so excited to go out there and perform. That’s the dream,” she said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, The Alliance for Eating Disorders offers a fully staffed helpline at 1-866-662-1235 and free therapist-led support groups.