Erin & The Wildfire Discuss Their Empowering Single “Lightning So Blue”

Richmond, Virginia is home to the newest pop and indie sensation – Erin & The Wildfire – a band that electrifies the music scene with their pop-soul-funk fusion that has captivated audiences at sold-out shows and prestigious events like NPR’s Mountain Stage.

Known for their feminist stance, it’s no surprise that their newest single embraces women’s sensual liberation and female pleasure. “Lightning So Blue” boasts lyrics that boldly and vividly describe the sensation of orgasm, with lines like “the lightning was so blue behind my eyes” painting a picture of the transcendent experience. Encapsulating raw honesty and trust within intimate moments, these are the musical moments the band has become known for.

V13 was lucky enough to sit down with the powerhouse vocalist and namesake of the group, Erin Lunsford, for an in-depth look behind the scenes behind the band’s creative process, making of the new single, and what makes them unique in the ever-saturated independent music industry.

How would you describe your own music?

Erin Lunsford: “We are a sparkly, thoughtful indie-pop band based in Richmond, Virginia. Our lyrics are derived from my romances (aw), heartbreaks (oops), struggles with body acceptance, frustrations with the capitalist/patriarchal machine, political fights with the fam, and everything in between. We want to make music that is challenging but approachable, memorable but unique, and something we would want to hear on the radio.”

How would you describe your creative process?

“I usually come up with lyrics, melody, chords, and some vibes for the song and then we arrange and write the instrumental parts more interactively. Since 2020, we’ve been sending songs back and forth online and fleshing out the digital demos as much as we can before attempting in-person workshops. The online approach has given us more freedom to explore sounds, tempos, and textures that we wouldn’t necessarily experiment with in a live session.”

Who are your biggest influences?

“These days the band is very into Carly Rae Jepson, Chappell Roan, D’Angelo, Emily King. We just discovered Little Monarch, Jungles, and Amber Mark and we’re obsessed. Ugh I could go on and on. We love pop music and we love soul. This answer has changed a lot over the years, but I’m trying to answer from a collective band headspace. Also, we try to be students of music as much as we can. I’m always listening and trying to decipher what makes a song great, what are new artists and producers bringing to the table, and where is the direction of the pop genre headed next. We want to learn and try to add to the evolution where we can.”

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Tell us about your most recent release “Lightning So Blue” and what makes it special.

“‘Lightning So Blue’ just dropped and it’s so sexy I’m excited for it!! This song is about being honest and trusting in intimacy. When I sing “lightning so blue behind my eyes,” it’s describing how your vision blurs during orgasm. It’s weird that talking about orgasm can feel taboo for women, but understandable when there’s an ongoing and historical effort by lawmakers to limit women’s bodily autonomy. (Yikes!) I wrote this song to encourage women to feel good in their sexuality and confident in their ability to talk openly about pleasure. This song serves as a reminder that we are in control of our own bodies and can feel confident standing in our own pleasure.”

What’s the best criticism you’ve ever received about your music or performance?

“One time I won first place in a singing competition in Charlottesville, Virginia and the prize was getting the chance to talk to an executive from Red Light Management. I played this executive our music and asked all the questions I could think of about how to tour, how to make a name for ourselves, how to make better music, how to be successful in all the ways. And one of the pieces of feedback they gave was that our band could use a “more cohesive look.” So I accepted this criticism and tried to color code our next few performances by giving the guys bandanas to wear. They could wear the bandana in any way they wanted to that expressed their personality, as long as the color was visible from the stage. This lasted for 1 show and it looked dumb. I think it’s helpful criticism for a boy band, but maybe not for us.”

Cover art for “Lightning So Blue” by Erin & The Wildfire

If you could change anything about the music industry what would it be?

“I’d like to see fewer men in charge, more people of color in charge, more women in charge, more queer people in charge, fair wages for musicians from streamed music, no merch cuts to the venues of touring bands, more support for local music and and less focus on the hyper-popular mega stars, more women and LGBT+ on festival lineups, more women producers and engineers, more size inclusivity for artists. I guess a lot of this is pointing at representation.”

What do you like most about playing music?

“I like sharing stories with people that make them feel something. We have songs about body positivity and fat acceptance and I love it when folks are eager to talk about those topics after the show. It’s a privilege to hold space for those conversations with people after they’ve heard our music. Through these stories and hard topics, I get to connect with people in a very real way and it makes me feel purposeful and alive.”

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What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened at one of your shows or on tour?

“One time in our early days we were 2 hours into a 3 hour gig at a bar in Staunton, Virginia. Ryan, our guitarist, had to sneeze during the middle of a song and instead of putting his nose to his elbow or chin down to his chest, he turned to our drummer Nick and sneezed a significant, precipitant sneeze onto Nick’s cymbals. It was hilarious but gross.”

Do you ever get stage fright? What’s your solution for it?

“We recently opened a few shows for Sammy Rae & The Friends and those venues were sold out, 1500+ person shows and I’ll admit I was a lil shaky before those performances. Occasionally, I will get nervous about an upcoming show or sometimes I’ll get nervous within a song if I’ve got a big note coming up. I try to relish those moments on stage and allow the butterflies to sink in because it’s a privilege to be on the stage and to make music for people and I don’t ever want to take it for granted. So I try to turn the butterflies into a little gratitude practice.”

Is there anywhere you would like to go that you have not been?

“We are long overdue for a west coast tour. I cannot wait to drive Route 101 up to Oregon with the band and see the Pacific Ocean the whole time. That’s how it works right? I may just be thinking of Big Little Lies on HBO but I’m pretty sure it’s a scenic highway with lots of beach action. Also we would love to tour in Europe soon – definitely a bucket list item.”