Things have been slowly settling after Nita Strauss decided to leave Alice Cooper’s live band and join pop singer Demi Lovato. Although certain fans have been a bit negative about the whole thing, they’ve slowly realized that Lovato’s current musical style is actually rock-oriented. Even the singer herself is playing guitar. But, even if it was your regular mainstream pop, this is all still Nita’s decision. And this is her job.
While talking to Guitar World recently, Nita was asked about some of the negative comments that she got online. However, the guitarist claims that she wasn’t aware of the supposed backlash. Nita explained:
“You and I are looking at different social media feeds! It is what it is. In a way, I feel very cared about – people are so protective of me and my career that they want to weigh in on my decisions [laughs]. If people didn’t care, they wouldn’t say anything. I’m choosing to look at the bright side of things.”
“I’m very excited about the opportunity. I haven’t been to Brazil to play a gig since 2017. I can’t wait to crush these shows. And it’s not just about me, it’s an amazing all-female band: Brittany Bowman on the drums, Leanne Bowes on the bass, Dani McGinley on the keys. If we can reach this next generation of passionate and intense fans, and inspire them to play music, isn’t that a wonderful thing?”
“They might pick up a guitar or bass, try out drums or see Dani on keys and think, ‘I could do that!’ Some of these younger fans might not have been reached through a traditional rock show.”
She also adds:
“I’ve gotten to play with Jennifer [Batten, who played with Michael Jackson]. She’s amazing and it was very humbling. Yeah, there’s a long tradition of rock players in pop acts. There’s Justin Derrico with Pink, Nuno Bettencourt with Rihanna. Greg Howe did NSync as well as Michael Jackson.”
“Then there’s Monte Pittman playing with Madonna while simultaneously playing with Prong, which no one seems to care about in terms of juggling both. And you know why they don’t care? Because they shouldn’t!”
While discussing the matter, Nita also reflected on Demi Lovato and her guitar-playing skills. In particular, she shared some inside info and revealed that she’s giving guitar lessons to the singer. Nita explained:
“Demi has been taking lessons with me since we started rehearsals. She’s playing an Ibanez on stage and really going for it. She’s a total metalhead. I’ve been quoted saying that a lot and it’s true. We did the first gig only a few weeks ago in Springfield, Illinois. I walked past a dressing room and could hear somebody listening to Megadeth, and it was Demi. There she was, getting ready for the show.”
“She’s not trying to fool anyone with air guitar or any kind of act; she’s finally being her genuine self. It’s a big move for Demi, you know? She had a very safe pop career that she didn’t need to mess with but she chose to step out and play the music she loves.”
When asked about these lessons, Nita said:
“Mainly it’s just been getting her ready for the tour. We’re not going through modes or any theory yet. I want her to feel as comfortable as she can playing these songs on stage because she’s coming from a different world.”
“It’s been more about practicing standing up, keeping the fretting hand in the right position. She was doing this thing a lot of younger players do, with her thumb over the neck, and strumming more over the neck than over the pickup. It was just little things like that: the building blocks of riffing.”
Photo: Raph_PH (AliceCooperO2 250522 (97 of 133) (52100039972)), marcen27 (Demi Lovato 5 (40988741730))
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