Rocker Nita Strauss chatted about her new single “Winner Takes All,” which features Alice Cooper, and her upcoming tour dates.
Strauss has performed for over a million live audience members per year across six continents worldwide. She is affectionately known as “Hurricane Nita.” “I love it, I think it’s appropriate,” she said about her honorific nickname.
She has played guitar for Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper, Demi Lovato, and the Los Angeles Rams, where she is the first guitar player for an NFL team. “In my career, there have been a lot of firsts,” she acknowledged.
‘Winner Takes All’ single
On her new single “Winner Takes All,” Strauss said, ” “It was a no-brainer that we wanted to so something with Alice Cooper because I’ve worked with him for so many years. We just wanted to have a more modern, heavy sound compared to a lot of the things that he has done before. I think we accomplished what we set out to do.”
Fans and listeners may recognize Strauss from her tours with Alice Cooper, Demi Lovato, and as the official guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams NFL team, as well as her music career as a solo artist. “I am always pushing myself to try new things and new ideas,” she said. “I love playing with Alice and I am excited to get back on the road with him later this year.”
“Also, it is important as an artist to diversify and expand your horizons, so it’s always a great time to do new things like that,” she added.
Motivations as a rocker
Regarding her daily motivations, Strauss said, “To get better. You have to always be learning, always growing as an artist and challenging yourself, and trying new things. I want to be versatile and to be up for different adventures and never get complacent with where I am at.”
First female solo artist to go No. 1 on rock radio
Her 2022 single “Dead Inside,” featuring David Draiman of Disturbed, became the first song by a female solo artist to go to No. 1 on rock radio. “That was an incredible feeling,” she admitted. “I never imagined myself as an artist that I would be on rock radio, I always imagined that I would play guitar for people on the radio and then my songs would be the instrumental side of things. To get on radio, and to go No. 1 was truly an incredible feeling and a real honor.”
Strauss has been featured on the covers of such print magazines as Guitar World and Guitar Player, and on dozens of albums, trailers, and soundtracks. “The covers were crazy,” she exclaimed. “As a young guitar player, I would buy those guitar magazines at the newsstands, so now to be a part of that and know that people are reading my articles and learning my songs from their tabs, the way that I used to, is a great feeling.”
“Having a lot of firsts has helped define me,” she said. “Perhaps blazing a new part of the trail so that others can do it as well.”
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she responded, “This is the season of growth.”
New album this summer
Her debut solo album “Controlled Chaos” is currently available worldwide via Sumerian Records. Her sophomore solo album is due later this summer.
“The new album is an evolution of who I am as a musician. There is a lot of guest vocalists on there, and there are some instrumental tracks. It showcases how I’ve grown as a songwriter and as an artist,” she foreshadowed.
“There will be a lot of new music coming out over the next few months,” she added.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Strauss said, “I think it’s amazing. We have a lot of resources as artists. It’s a blessing and a curse, of course, but it does more good than bad.”
“The more you grow and the more success you have with the music, there will be more and more people telling you how to do your art. The most important thing is to not lose your integrity and not lose sight of the artist that you want to be and what got you to that place in the first place. Cut through the noise and be yourself.”
Tour with Alice Cooper
On September 9, she will be performing at the Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island, New York, with Alice Cooper as part of the “Freaks On Parade” co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie. “I love Jones Beach,” she said. “It is one of my favorite amphitheaters in the whole world. It has a great vibe there and we’ve had great shows there, I can’t wait to go back.”
Success
Strauss defined success “as doing what you want to do on your own terms, and doing something that you can be proud of.”
“Winner Takes All” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
“This is the Alice Cooper song that I always wanted to write, so it was really exciting for us to get to showcase his amazing voice on a different style of music. I am very excited, and I hope the listeners like it as much as I do ,” she concluded.
To learn more about rock star Nita Strauss, check out her official website and follow her on Instagram.
