Welcome to the
United States of Erika!

No last name needed for this Swedish grand dame of hard rock. One of the female pioneers of AOR powerballads, hard rock and melodic metal, with a career spanning over three decades. Erika ́s debut album from 1990, Cold winter night, boasted number one hits and multi platinum figures by today ́s standards. Catapulted into instant stardom, Erika lived a larger than rock star-life with then husband, guitargod Yngwie Malmsteen. Her tours became legendary, not only because of several shows having to be stopped mid-concert by the police, because the crowds broke through the security barriers.

- I was at the top of both hitlists and headlines in record time, which was quite the welcomed surprise for my record label at the time, Erika says. Between tours she released her second album In the arms of a stranger a year later, and her third album, Lady Luck in 1993. She was big in Japan (for real, not the song!) and released albums Planet X there in 1995 and Ripe in 1997, followed by Supertrax, a greatest hits album in 1998, compiled by her two latest releases, thanks to a string of radio hits.

- Japan was such a trip, she says. Fans were waiting outside the restaurant where I was having dinner, literally in a rainstorm for hours, she says. But there was a darker side to having die hard fans. Plagued by stalkers she more or less went into hiding on her farm, focusing on her three children, journalism and writing music and lyrics for others.

In 2014 Erika returned to her own music career to co-write a new album with members from f e In Flames, Europe and Candlemass. This resulted in Deaf, dumb and blonde in 2016. Right before the pandemic lockdown in 2020, she released her seventh album, Remedy for sobriety.

- I did a couple of meet and greets, hugging lots of people, literally the day before covid was discovered in Sweden. Needless to say the plans for touring were scrapped, but at least I didn ́t get sick, she shrugs. November 2024 saw the much publicized release of United States of Erika, her eighth album. In between her own music endeavours in the last decade, Erika has served as a member of the jury for the Swedish Grammy Awards and as chairwoman of the jury for Wacken Metal Battle Sweden.

An avid charity contributor, she is a member of the metal all star-project Saints and Sinners Sweden, a charity based unholy alliance boasting members from f e Necrophobic, Nifelheim, and Grave. In 2017-2020 Erika produced and co-hosted the podcast Rock Böttom together with icon journalist Anders Tengner. The interviews were mainly conducted at Erika’s penthouse in central Stockholm.
- My sofa saw more rockstar asses than the mensroom at the Rainbow Bar & Grill, she laughs..

This concept was tweaked into the YouTube metalshow Decibel Tv, co-produced and co-hosted 2021-2024 with the late Henrik Koelman. Now Erika is firing up for touring in 2025 and planning another album for 2026. - Keep checking this space and my social medias for updates on my shenanigans on stage, backstage and side stage, she says and concludes;
- Until we meet again; horns up, pants down and fly the flag for the United States of Erika!