Japanese neo-soul guitarist Toshiki Soejima has received the surprise of his career after being touted by Eric Clapton as his favorite contemporary Japanese guitarist. The six-stringer called it a true full-circle moment, especially since Clapton was one of his earliest inspirations.
“Something quite unbelievable happened during this tour,” writes Soejima on Instagram. “I was interviewed by the Japanese TV show. During the program, a featured overseas guitarist was asked, ‘Who’s a guitarist to respect in Japan right now?’ He mentioned my name – and that’s how I got contacted for the interview.
“After the Zoom interview, I was honestly so overwhelmed that I didn’t even understand what had just happened. Now that some time has passed and I’ve calmed down a bit, I wanted to write down my honest feelings. The guitarist in question turned out to be Eric Clapton.”
Soejima describes how “shocked” he was at the prospect that one of his guitar heroes had come across his playing videos. “Apparently, Clapton checks out guitarists from around the world on social media,” he continues. “During his visit to Japan, he happened to ask that question – and somehow, my name came up.
“There are so many incredible guitarists in Japan. That my name was even mentioned is something I deeply appreciate. Even the thought that Clapton might have seen a few seconds of my video feels surreal. But I’m truly honored.”
The guitarist reminisces about how the surreal moment brought back memories from middle school, when his dad introduced him to Clapton's music and he cut his teeth soloing over Clapton's Cocaine riff and would “jam that for hours with friends.”
He had previously told Guitar Magazine, “The first band I liked was [Japanese rock duo] B'z. And then Eric Clapton, who my father recommended to me.
“At the time, Clapton's music was too mature for me, so I didn't really get it, but as I continued to listen to it, I began to find commonalities with B'z, and little by little I began to appreciate how cool Clapton was. That was the trigger, and by the time I was in third year of junior high school, I started to like blues.”
As for one of his biggest dreams, Soejima hopes that he'll get the chance to perform at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival – which last took place in 2023 and saw 41 artists, including Santana, the John Mayer Trio, and H.E.R., take the stage at Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena.
This is far from the first time Clapton has spotted promising talent before they hit more mainstream recognition.
Last year, the Yardbird picked Mk.gee as his favorite contemporary guitarist – while back in 1990, he invited an up-and-coming Tommy Emmanuel to open for him on the Australian leg of the Journeyman tour.
