Forbes: Valley violinist Lindsey Stirling among music industry’s best under 30

PHOENIX — The career of a dancing violinist from the Phoenix area continues to explode.

Forbes has named Gilbert-raised Lindsey Stirling one of the top 30 people in music under the age of 30, citing her online popularity and her album, “Shatter Me,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Making the Forbes list is a pretty big deal. It includes internationally-known artists Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Meghan Trainor and Iggy Azalea, among others.

Virtually unknown until her 2010 appearance on “America’s Got Talent,” Stirling has enjoyed a boom of popularity in the last few years. The 28-year-old rose to stardom on YouTube in 2012 when her song “Crystallize” became one of the top 10 most-watched videos of the year, with over 42 million views.

She now has more than 5.8 million YouTube subscribers and is the focus of a documentary, thanks to her eclectic style.

“I fused all my favorite things: rock and roll, electronica, Celtic,” she told KTAR in December.

KTAR’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.