Violin can be heard on some pop/rock music. Who are the influential string players today?
1. David Garret
We will start by probably the most successful genre mixing pop violinists out there today. In fact, calling him a pop violinist may slightly feel awkward because he is an established classical violin soloist who has played with leading orchestras in the world and recorded many standard violin concertos.
His first pop music experiment can be heard in his 2007 album “Free” in which David covered Metallica’s 80’s classic “Nothing else matters”. The album that cemented his status as the leading modern pop violinist is undoubtedly “Rock Symphony” released in 2010 and the rest is history.
2. Karolina Protsenko
The new sensation in pop violin is without a doubt, Karolina Protsenko, who is still only 14 years-old and rose to fame because of her YouTube videos which she currently has close to 8 million subscribers. She appeared on Ellen show and Kelly Clarkson show on national TV as well as collaborating with well known musicians recently.
It seems this young prodigy is keeping herself busy with regular street performances and recording, her second YouTube channel reveals more personal side of her life as well as displaying progress of her study in classical violin performance. We will look forward to see what kind of career Karolina will make.
3. Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling is still the reigning queen of pop violin. Her unique style of choreographed Hip-Hop violin performance earned her the interest from millions of people worldwide. She is releasing recordings constantly as well as touring. When Covid-19 cancelled all the live shows, she became even more active on her digital performance in various social media platform. On YouTube alone, she amassed 13.5 million subscribers as of Dec 2022.
4. Emilie Autumn
Emilie has not been very active in recent years but nobody can match her when it comes to sheer stage presence and shredding ability that leaves audience in awe. Her theatrical stage persona and fashion is unmistakable and we will wait to see when she makes a comeback soon.
Notable mention- Taylor Davis
Taylor also rose to fame through YouTube videos. Her channel Taylor Davis has close to 3 million subscribers and her arrangements of video games and Hollywood movie theme are particularly popular among her fan base.
