ERJA LYYTINEN
Carlos Santana called her “the future” of guitar music. Naturally, she knows a thing or two about the blues.
BY RICHARD BIENSTOCK
FINNISHGUITAR MAVERICK Erja Lyytinen has been putting her own spin on the blues for close to two decades, in the process earning a European Guitarist of the Year award, sharing stages with the likes of Carlos Santana and playing to more than 80,000 in her hometown of Helsinki for a televised New Year’s Eve concert. In addition to approaching the blues from a fresh perspective both musically and geographically, she possesses a powerful, emotive voice and a devastating slide technique. It’s no wonder her 2019 autobiography was titled Blueskuningatar (The Blues Queen).