Nita Strauss knew that accepting the invitation to Demi Lovato 's band would be, at the very least, "polarizing." For the past eight years, the guitarist with her captivating technique and stage presence has toured the world with Alice Cooper , simultaneously building a solo career widely supported by fans, and now she embarks on a new phase of her career, accepting the challenge of bringing rock to a potential new generation of fans.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity, I’m loving it, you know? To show this new generation of fans what we do and the music we love, with the heavy guitars and energetic drums. And Demi is a very powerful vocalist, so it’s a good rock band,” he told Wikimetal last Wednesday, the 30th, right after starting the Holy Fuck in São Paulo.
When the reason for the artist's departure from Cooper's band was revealed, many supported Nita's decision – including Alice Cooper, who didn't rule out a possible return to the band . "I'm happy, Demi's fans are happy, the people in my life are happy, Alice and the band, we're happy. So I think the most important thing is to be confident and happy with your own choices," the guitarist explained.
Still, it was to be expected that some of the public would turn their noses up at such a drastic change: despite the abrupt shift towards rock on the new album, Demi Lovato is still known as a pop music diva and a Disney product. And if heavy metal fans can get annoyed by Metallica , imagine how they'll react to the mainstream's flirtation with rock and metal.
“Many people have difficulty accepting this change. And that’s okay too. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think the only time it really crosses the line is when you’re rude, when you’re swearing and being intolerant. That’s never acceptable, but it’s also just part of life. There are keyboard warriors on the internet now, they say what they want with confidence,” he pointed out.
Still, Nita hopes that many rock and metal fans will change their minds when they see the show she put together with Demi Lovato, who recruited an extremely skilled and all-female band to accompany her on an extensive world tour, performing older songs from her catalog with completely new and heavy arrangements. “You know, I feel kind of loved [by this reaction from people]. I’m excited for more videos from the tour to come out and for people to understand that it’s a cool thing happening. You might not have understood it at first, but it’s something very interesting.”
And indeed, it's only possible to understand Nita Strauss's point by watching Demi Lovato's new show. The singer's loyal fans quickly learned to greet the guitarist's solos with horn-like hand gestures, and some even risk headbanging. Above all, the audience in São Paulo at Espaço Unimed, last Thursday, the 31st, completely embraced the new sound of Lovato's hits, who successfully delivered a powerful live rock show, with a raw sound, prominent drums and bass, and guitar solos that, although shorter than we would have liked, are still spine-tingling.
Beyond the music, there is yet another factor connecting Nita Strauss and Demi Lovato: the struggle against addiction. While the guitarist has been sober for seven years and speaks openly about it, Lovato's history with addiction is widely reported and has nearly taken the artist's life more than once.
“Even for me, a recovering artist, hearing Demi’s story, even before meeting her, was inspiring. And she’s a songwriter who speaks her mind, she’s raw and honest. In this new album, she takes fans on a journey and says: I’m not perfect, I’m struggling, I’m here with you, I’m fighting,” said the guitarist, who especially identifies with the song “Happy Ending,” in which Demi confesses that she misses her addictions, even though she’s sober, and this helps people who also suffer from alcohol or drug withdrawal, but who have decided to follow the path to recovery.
READ ALSO: Nita Strauss talks about her sober lifestyle: “Alcohol was extremely damaging to my personal life”
The guitarist's return to the stage after the pandemic has been intense. In 2022 alone, Strauss has already performed in front of audiences of varying sizes, at festivals with Cooper and in small venues with her solo band. “My favorite part of being on tour, especially now, is seeing the fans again. Because we have this shared sense of gratitude,” she noted. “No one will ever stop valuing that again.”
About to take the stage at Rock In Rio once again, this time alongside the pop singer who is, in reality, a headbanger at heart, Nita Strauss expresses emotion when talking about the experience of performing at the festival. “I don’t know if Brazilians really understand what coming to Rock In Rio means for American artists. It’s so special, and you grow up hearing about the festival, and we don’t have the chance to come to the event, not even as fans, much less perform,” she said. “And Rock In Rio 2017 [with Alice Cooper] was one of the best moments of my life. When people ask me about my favorite shows, that one is always on the list. I feel lucky and excited to have the chance to perform there again.”
Even with a busy schedule due to commitments with Demi Lovato, the guitarist's solo career won't take a backseat. After the success of the single "Dead Inside," featuring David Draiman of Disturbed , which made her the first solo female artist to enter the Top 10 of Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart , the singer recently released the track "Summer Storm ," returning to instrumental sounds.
According to Nita, the successor to Controlled Chaos (2018) is in its final stages of completion and will have a tracklist divided equally between instrumental songs and tracks with guest singers. "I felt it was important as an artist to still do both," she explained.
There are still mysteries surrounding the guest list, but the next single will feature vocals and a music video has already been filmed so that the song can be released "as soon as possible." Although she hasn't revealed any new confirmed names on the album, she assures that she has managed to get "a good mix of new artists and established artists" for the project. "You'll have new voices and some you've heard for many years. You'll have incredible male vocalists and also incredible female vocalists," she said simply.
Looking to the future as a solo artist, Nita Strauss has a dream: “I would love to return to Brazil with my band. I love performing here, I always have a lot of fun, and my solo band has only toured the United States. So I would love to come to South America, go to Europe, Asia, Australia and different countries. And I hope to inspire young girls to pick up guitars and play; we need the next generation carrying the torch.”
And on this journey, the decision to accept the opportunity to bring rock to other audiences proves to be increasingly correct and a gesture of love for heavy music that no purist headbanger could understand, closed off in their bubble as they are.
Having personally witnessed the transformations of rock and metal in recent years, moving towards becoming a more representative and inclusive environment, Strauss is certain of one thing: it's time for the mainstream to embrace rock and metal. “For many years, we said that rock was ignored in the mainstream, that there were no real guitars, no bass or drums. And now there are artists like Demi and Machine Gun Kelly bringing elements of heavy metal to shows and to the music, you know? Guitar solos, loud drums, riffs and real instruments, and that's exciting. It's an exciting moment in music,” he concluded.
