Slow-Blues.com — Global Blues Encyclopedia
Back to artists
Erja Lyytinen
Photo: Jere Lauha, 2007 (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Modern

Erja Lyytinen

Born: July 7, 1976, Kuopio, Finland• Finland• Active: 2000s–present
Nordic BluesBlues Rock

Finland's foremost blues guitarist and vocalist, celebrated for her slide playing and a catalogue that has steadily pulled blues toward 1970s-influenced rock without ever losing the grit.

Carlos Santana introduced her to 20,000 people in her own hometown with the words: "My new friend represents the future — I like the future! Erja… I call her lightning!" The nickname stuck. It is, by any measure, an unusual endorsement for a guitarist from Kuopio, a city of about 100,000 people deep in the Finnish lake district, but Erja Lyytinen has spent three decades methodically becoming Finland's most internationally decorated blues guitarist. She was born on July 7, 1976, in Kuopio, Finland, and picked up guitar at fifteen, writing her own songs almost immediately. Her earliest influences were Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Koko Taylor and Bonnie Raitt, and she cut her teeth playing in a soul-influenced high-school band called Brothers & Sisters. Her training was unusually rigorous for a blues musician: an exchange year at Malmö Musikhögskolan in Sweden in 1997, admission to Finland's Sibelius Academy as its first woman to major in electric guitar, further study in Copenhagen under Billy Cross and at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles under Scott Henderson, and finally a Master of Music degree from Sibelius Academy in 2010 (Kilde: Wikipedia). Her recording career began with 2002's "Attention!" with the band Dave's Special, followed by "Wildflower" (2003) and her international breakthrough, "Pilgrimage – Mississippi to Memphis" (2005), released on Ruf Records and supported by a Blues Caravan tour. "Dreamland Blues" (2006), recorded in Oxford, Mississippi, was named Album of the Year by the Finnish radio show Bluesministeri. In 2009 she toured the Blues Caravan alongside Joanne Shaw Taylor and Oli Brown, and jammed with Joe Bonamassa at the Notodden Blues Festival in Norway (Kilde: Wikipedia). The turning point in her sound came with 2014's "The Sky Is Crying," an Elmore James tribute that pushed her decisively toward slide guitar and won Best European Blues Album and Best Tribute Album from Canada's Underground Blues Network. The following year's "Live in London," recorded at the 100 Club, saw her voted the top international solo artist by Blues Matters! magazine, and she won Finnish Blues Awards' Artist of the Year the same year. "Stolen Hearts" (2017), produced by Chris Kimsey, won her Best Guitarist at the European Blues Awards (Kilde: Wikipedia). Her career reached a genuine mainstream peak in 2018, when she performed alongside Carlos Santana before 20,000 people in Helsinki's Kaisaniemi Park — the concert that produced her "Lightning" nickname — and later that year played for more than 80,000 people as part of Finland's nationally broadcast New Year's Eve Concert. In 2019 "Another World," featuring guest guitarists Jennifer Batten and Sonny Landreth, coincided with her ranking 14th in Guitar World's readers' poll of the 30 best blues guitarists (from over 60,000 votes), and she published an autobiography, "Blueskuningatar" ("The Blues Queen"). That year she also became the first popular-music artist to receive the "Savonmuan Hilima" award from newspaper Savon Sanomat (Kilde: Wikipedia). She has recorded and shared stages with Robert Plant, Tom Jones, Downchild Blues Band and Dan Aykroyd, and her 2022 solo on "Bad Seed" was voted the tenth-best guitar solo by Guitar World's readers. She continues to release new music, with "Smell the Roses" expected in 2025 (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Musical Influence

Erja Lyytinen has become Finland's most internationally recognized blues guitarist, her rigorous conservatory training and rock-influenced slide playing helping widen the genre's audience across Europe. Her 2018 performance alongside Carlos Santana — who gave her the enduring nickname "Lightning" — and her top-15 finish in Guitar World's reader poll of the best blues guitarists placed her among a small handful of European players with genuine international mainstream recognition (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Influences

Elmore JamesBonnie RaittAretha Franklin

Formative experiences

  • •Age 15: Begins playing guitar and writing songs almost immediately. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1997: Exchange year at Malmö Musikhögskolan, Sweden. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •Becomes the first woman to major in electric guitar at Finland's Sibelius Academy; graduates with a Master of Music in 2010. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •2018: Performs alongside Carlos Santana before 20,000 people in Helsinki, who gives her the nickname "Lightning." (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •2019: Ranked 14th in Guitar World's reader poll of the 30 best blues guitarists. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Instruments & Equipment

Guitar

Electric & slide guitar

Conservatory-trained (Sibelius Academy, Musicians Institute LA); shifted decisively toward slide guitar with 2014's Elmore James tribute album.

Stories & Anecdotes

"Was the first woman to major in electric guitar at Finland's prestigious Sibelius Academy. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Got her enduring nickname "Lightning" directly from Carlos Santana, who introduced her onstage in Helsinki in 2018 by saying: "My new friend represents the future — I like the future! Erja… I call her lightning!" (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Later that year played for over 80,000 people as part of Finland's nationally broadcast New Year's Eve Concert. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Published an autobiography, "Blueskuningatar" ("The Blues Queen"), in 2019. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Her "Bad Seed" guitar solo was voted the tenth-best of 2022 by Guitar World readers. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Carlos Santana

Invited her onstage in Helsinki in 2018 and gave her the nickname "Lightning."

Marco Hietala

Guest vocalist on "Voracious Love" (2010).

Jennifer Batten & Sonny Landreth

Guest guitarists on "Another World" (2019).

Joe Bonamassa

Jammed together at the Notodden Blues Festival, Norway, in 2009.

Watch & Listen

Featured

Erja Lyytinen - The Sky Is Crying (From Live In London CD/DVD)

From her breakthrough Elmore James tribute era, recorded at London's 100 Club.

Erja Lyytinen

Erja Lyytinen - Voracious Love

Erja Lyytinen - Voracious Love

Erja Lyytinen - Voracious Love live at Sigyn Hall, Turku, Finland

Erja Lyytinen - Voracious Love live at Sigyn Hall, Turku, Finland

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

YearTitleProducerStudioLabelChartSalesMusiciansYouTubeNotes
2002Attention! (with Dave's Special)——————Debut album.
2003Wildflower———————
2005Pilgrimage – Mississippi to Memphis——Ruf Records———International breakthrough; supported by a Blues Caravan tour.
2006Dreamland Blues——Ruf Records———Recorded in Oxford, Mississippi. Named Album of the Year by Finnish radio show Bluesministeri.
2008Grip of the Blues——Ruf Records———First album to feature her own band.
2010Voracious LoveDavide Floreno, Erja Lyytinen—Ruf Records——Matti Vallius (Bass, double bass), Rami Eskelinen (Drums, percussion), Harri Taittonen (Hammond organ, keyboards), Davide Floreno (Guitar), Marco Hietala (Vocals (additional)), Paavo Lötjönen (Cello (additional))Recorded and mixed at Seasound Studio, Helsinki. Includes a duet with Marco Hietala.
2013Forbidden Fruit——Ruf Records———Features contributions from Alan Darby.
2014The Sky Is Crying——Tuohi Records———Elmore James tribute; won Best European Blues Album and Best Tribute Album, Underground Blues Network (Canada). Turning point toward slide guitar.
2015Live in London——Tuohi Records———Recorded at the 100 Club. Voted #1 International Solo Artist by Blues Matters! magazine.
2017Stolen HeartsChris Kimsey—Tuohi Records———Won Best Guitarist, European Blues Awards.
2019Another World——Tuohi Records——Jennifer Batten (Guitar (guest)), Sonny Landreth (Guitar (guest))Features guest guitarists Jennifer Batten and Sonny Landreth.
2025Smell the Roses——————Forthcoming album.

Famous songs

01The Sky Is Crying
02Voracious Love
03Bad Seed

External links

YouTube Music Wikipedia

Booking / Contact

Are you the artist, or do you represent the band or booking agency? We want the booking information here to always be accurate and current. Please send us the correct details via our contact form, and we'll update the profile as soon as possible. Go to the contact form

Sources

Keep SlowBlues independent. Official merch — wear the blues.

Shop merch