Nita Strauss, renowned for her work with Alice Cooper, her mainstream crossover with Demi Lovato, and her thriving solo career, has firmly established herself as one of the top guitarists in the rock and metal scene. However, despite her success, she still finds herself feeling nervous around one particular guitar icon—Steve Vai.
In a recent interview on the Rock Antenne stage at Guitar Summit 2024, Strauss shared her thoughts on being included in lists of the best female guitarists. While she acknowledged the recognition, she also expressed her mixed feelings about being labeled specifically as a female in heavy metal.
Strauss explained that while some musicians take issue with the distinction, she doesn’t find it offensive. Instead, she appreciates being included in discussions about great guitarists at all. As transcribed by Ultimate Guitar, she said:
“To be honest with you, that doesn’t really bother me. I hear some people get offended by that, saying, ‘Oh, you should not be called the best female player. You should just be the best player.’ And like, I’m just happy to be in that conversation… Because I don’t think I’m the best — I think that I’m good at what I do, but I don’t think I’m faster or more technical than anyone, or anything. So, just to be in the conversation of being a good player makes me really happy.”
She also pointed out that in the grand scheme of things, she believes there are more important issues to be upset about than how someone categorizes her musicianship:
“I think that people have a lot more important things to get offended about than if someone’s saying, ‘She’s the best female guitar player, best California guitar player, [or the] best blonde guitar player,’ whatever. I just think there’s more important things to get offended about.”
When asked whether she sees herself as a role model for aspiring female musicians, Strauss emphasized the importance of setting an example, even if it’s on a smaller scale:
“It’s important to act as a role model, even if you aren’t one on like a grand scale, you know? But when I was growing up, there were not a lot of female guitar players in the scene, and it was hard to find somebody that sort of checked the boxes for me… For me, that person was Jennifer Batten.”
Strauss recalled how influential Jennifer Batten was to her, as Batten played lead guitar for Michael Jackson on some of the biggest stages in the world:
“Watching Jen on the biggest stage in the world, with the biggest star in the world, Michael Jackson, shredding, playing the Super Bowl, blazing solos faster than anybody that I’d ever seen. It was just amazing to see a girl up there doing that. And I think if I can create that moment for some girls of the next generation, that’s really special.”
Despite her status as one of the most respected guitarists in rock and metal, Strauss admitted that Steve Vai is the one musician who still makes her feel starstruck:
“The person that I get the most nervous about — and he is so nice. Actually, he sends me emails every once in a while, and be like, ‘Look, what a great article about you in Guitar World,’ or something like, ‘Hey, have you seen this?’ And I was like, [it’s from] Steve Vai.”
For Strauss, receiving personal messages from a legend like Vai is both thrilling and surreal:
“So, it’s very surreal, but he’s always been so, so complimentary, and so kind to me as a young artist [who is] sort of following in his footsteps. That’s always been really, really cool.”
With her growing influence in the music world, Nita Strauss continues to inspire aspiring musicians while staying humble about her success. Whether she’s playing in front of massive crowds or exchanging messages with rock legends, she remains grounded in her love for the guitar and its power to connect generations of artists.
Related Topics
- Tool’s Danny Carey Showcases His Innovative Drum Bike
- Long Island Drum Corps and Color Guard Brings Joy and Opportunity
- These Smart Pendulum Drums Perform on Their Own
