In Conversation With Colin: Erja Lyytinen

Passionate, authentic, and focussed are words used to describe Erja Lyytinen. Watching the award-winning guitarist and blues artist on stage, you realize how locked in she is with her playing and the poise and confidence she brings to every performance. Her focus, determination and work ethic have definitely paid off for her.

Colin Palmer chatted to Erja for Newport City Radio, part of this interview was broadcast on ‘The Rock Vault’.

Erja is proud of sharing stages with Carlos Santana, playing festivals at the request of Robert Plant and Joe Bonamassa and having numerous radio hits and televised performances in her native Finland.

Erja would rather talk about her connection with fans, and of her resolute positive attitude to her art. She plays shows like they are the last thing she will ever do, and though she is known for her skills as a singer, guitarist and songwriter, its sheer authenticity and spirit that are her prime motivators.

When Erja plays live, she doesn’t do it to show her ability, she plays to create a communion with her audience. “Each gig is unique”. She tells me from her studio in Helsinki. “You have to own that stage every night and you have to enjoy it and interact with people.”

Those very people she refers to associate Erja as a slide guitar player but her early musical training put her in good stead as a vocalist too – there’s a lot of power behind her voice. Erja has a music master’s degree and wrote her thesis on Son House and Delta blues techniques.

“Back in the days when I went to music schools I always had vocal lessons as well, even classical. At the academy I had to sing classical so I’m pretty sure my vocal technique is good, I can sing many gigs in a row and my voice can take it. For instance we are going to do a UK tour soon and its twelve dates in a row. Over the years my voice has got stronger from singing live shows.”

How does one define success as a musician? Is it a list of accomplishments? Is it the strength of recordings and live shows? For Erja it’s about fulfilling a life’s ambition.

“Success, ah that’s a funny word”. She ponders for a second before continuing. “For me it’s that I’m still able to play shows around the world and make a living out of it, and be able to have an office. I have two people working for me daily so I’m also an entrepreneur so for me that is success. This was my dream since I was fifteen years old and I’m still doing it.”

Throughout much of 2024, Erja was in the studio working on her latest album Smell The Roses. “2024 was very innovative for me. I started to write new songs in early 2024 when I had a break in my hectic schedule.”

Erja matches her guitar refinement with a talent for writing songs, some of which came almost as an epiphany, as she explains. “I remember one night I woke up and I heard this phrase going over and over in my head nothing to do about it and a melody too and I thought whose song is this. So I had to get up and I realised this isn’t something I’ve heard on the radio, this is my stuff. So I picked up my guitar and started to record to my cell phone. Little by little this song came out called ‘Ball And Chain’. It’s funny, sometimes you have been given a lot for one song at that one moment – I was lucky that night. The song ‘Wings To Fly’ also on the new album came to me that same night, which is amazing, it’s very rare. I’m very happy how it came out.”

COLIN PALMER