Alice Cooper guitarist had recent experience as a member of singer Demi Lovato’s band
It’s natural for rock fans, especially heavy metal, to think that their niche is better than other music genres. the guitarist Nita Strausswho traveled through both, is here to point out that not everything happens that way.
A natural talent for the six strings, Nita became widely known for her work with singer Alice Cooper, the greatest legend of the so-called shock rock. The two have been working together for almost a decade, in a partnership that started in 2014 and only had a brief break, between 2022 and 2023, while the guitarist toured the world with the band Demi Lovatoa giant name of contemporary pop that has been approaching rock lately.
In view of this, Strauss was invited to point out the differences between rock/metal and pop music niches. In an interview with Full Metal Jackie (via website Igor Miranda), the musician initially defined the experience with Lovato as “incredible”, even more so at a time of transition in the artist’s career.
“I come from the world of rock, hard rock and metal and I’m used to angry fans whenever something changes. Demi changed her whole style, clothes, musical style, rearranged all the hits… she has a song called ‘cool for the summer‘, which has billions of plays on Spotify, and did a Paulist version with a little Metallica in the middle.”
Hence the aspect where, in the opinion of nita, pop is better than rock/metal: fans are more open-minded to change. Past experiences in the heavy music niche made the guitarist imagine that the singer would be criticized for adopting a new approach, but the reaction seen was the complete opposite.
“Fans loved it. Fans supported her and screamed until the end of each show. There was no negative reaction. There were none: ‘That’s not how you’re supposed to sound. It was not what we wanted. We want Demi from before’. None of the fans trying to boss each other around, which we see in the musical style we are used to.”
Nita Strauss and Demi Lovato
The tour that Demi Lovato performed with Nita Strauss in his band was intended to promote the album Holy Fvck, whose sound leans towards rock, especially pop punk. The tour came to pass through Brazil between August and September last year, with presentations in São Paulo (two dates), Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro.
Accustomed to performing well-elaborated and complex solos in the heavy music segment, Strauss told in an interview with Metal Injection (via Ultimate Guitar) that working with Lovato also gave her highlights. However, the differences in the way of conducting a live presentation were clear.
“A signed musician needs to be able to adapt to the different styles of any show, while still maintaining their personality and energy. A lot of things with Demi were new. It had been 15 years, if not more, since I was the only guitar player in a band. I had to work on the right hand, which corresponds to the rhythmic aspect. A lot of the note picking in the riffs, the clean parts that are in these arrangements of more pop and pop punk music are things that I don’t really do. And there are a lot of solos in the show, big highlights where I can go up to the front of the stage and show off. That too is an adjustment, finding how I can fit into this format.”
For the sequel of the year, Nita Strauss is back in the band of alice cooper. The guitarist also announced her second solo album, The Call of the Void, for July 7th. The album features guest appearances by vocalists such as Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Dorothy Martin (Dorothy), David Draiman (Disturbed), Anders Fridén (In Flames) and Alice himself, among others.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
