“It doesn’t bother me at all anymore”: Nita Strauss on being labelled a ‘female guitarist’ instead of just a ‘guitarist’
“At the end of the day, to be in the conversation is a great thing.”
Image: Gus Stewart / Getty
Nita Strauss has given her opinion on being labelled as a ‘female guitarist’ as opposed to just a ‘guitarist’, assuring that while it might have bothered her once upon a time, it doesn’t anymore.
Strauss released her second solo album, Call Of The Void, back in July and is set to hit the road through November and December this year. The rocker recently toured with Demi Lovato, who has made a switch over from pop to rock, but has since rejoined Alice Cooper’s band.
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Across her career, but particularly in recent months, Strauss has made plenty of positive commentary on the growing numbers of women in the guitar sphere. In a new interview for the print edition of Guitar Player, she’s now said that being labelled as a female guitarist isn’t so much of a bother.
“Honestly, it doesn’t bother me at all anymore,” she begins. “Maybe when I was younger and had a chip on my shoulder, I’d be like, ‘I don’t want to be a female guitar player; I just want to be known as a guitar player.’ But I’ve been touring for so long now, and the world of women in guitar is very different than when I started out.”
She continues, “At the end of the day, to be in the conversation is a great thing. If we’re talking about great female guitar players, or great guitar players from Los Angeles, or great guitar players with blonde hair, or whatever, I’m focused on the ‘great guitar player’ part.”
Also in the interview, Strauss shares how she used music as a tool to help her bond with other kids at school as someone who grew up being naturally shy: “When I started playing in bands, it was like this whole new community accepted me. I could almost play a character version of myself. I could get onstage and become somebody who was confident,” she admits.
Find all the latest Nita Strauss tour dates on her official website.