Guitarist Nita Strauss is adored by fans and critics alike for her fancy fretwork. The Los-Angeles-based shredder has long been a standout player for the Alice Cooper band, and recently she said she had no plans of ever doing a solo record that wasn’t strictly instrumental, but that she’s glad she reconsidered for her forthcoming album. “Instrumental shred is kind of my passion; it’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Strauss said on the Metal Edge podcast “Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley.” “And it wasn’t really what I set out to do, doing radio stuff — I wanted to kind of stay true to my identity as a guitar player and just make guitar music. But then, as I grew a little bit as a songwriter, it just made sense to sort of evolve a little bit more musically and branch out and try different things, get in front of a new audience — obviously, a much larger audience than I would have ever just doing instrumental guitar music. And it’s fun. It’s not necessarily what I initially thought I would do when I set out as a solo artist, but I’m learning so much, I’m having such a great time.”
“Why am I gonna sing when I know I’m not that good? … Why am I gonna do something that I don’t particularly enjoy, that I’m not particularly good at when I have this amazing opportunity to work with so many different vocalists?”
Guitarist Nita Strauss, on whether she would ever sing on her own material
While Strauss has embraced the idea of adding guest vocalists to her music, she has no plans to get behind the mic herself. “Absolutely not,” she said with a laugh. “Because I want people to like it. I’m not a very good singer. Why am I gonna sing when I know I’m not that good? I’m a reasonably okay guitar player, and I really enjoy playing guitar. And I know I’m not a great singer. And if I put out something (with me) singing just for people to then tell me I’m not any good, that’s just gonna be frustrating. Why am I gonna do something that I don’t particularly enjoy, that I’m not particularly good at when I have this amazing opportunity to work with so many different vocalists? I play in a band with one of the greatest frontmen and vocalists of all time. As a solo artist without a singer, I kind of have my pick and choose of what great singers I can work with. I have several other guest vocalists that are not announced yet collaborating with me on this upcoming record. Why am I gonna step in front of all of that and say, ‘You know what? My ego needs me to do all the things.’? I don’t need to do all the things. I’ll play the guitar.”
Strauss’ debut album, “Controlled Chaos,” was released in 2018, and a follow-up record is set for release later this year. In October, Strauss released her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist, “Dead Inside,” which she recorded with Disturbed singer David Draiman.
