NITA STRAUSS Says Music For Her Debut Solo Album 'Was Just Flowing Out Like Water'

Valentino of the WSOU radio station recently conducted an interview with Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Speaking about the songwriting process for her debut solo album, "Controlled Chaos", Nita said: "I think that as far as the actual writing process, I had so much I wanted to say and so much I wanted to get out after so many years of playing other people's songs that it kind of flowed for me. And, of course, there were some times when I had writer's block and I had a hard time figuring out how to express what I wanted to express. But for the most part, it was just flowing out like water, because I was just so anxious to be heard and have my voice heard. I think the real challenge was just all the other parts of it — the business side of the making and recording of the record, and finding the studio and mixing, and all that kind of stuff. That's stuff I don't know much about, so that was more of a challenge."

Asked what the hardest part was about the making of "Controlled Chaos", Nita said: "The hardest part was actually letting go and having other people do other jobs on the record. I'm very used to being a team of two, with myself and my manager and boyfriend, Josh [Villalta]. We do everything ourselves. I record everything myself, I engineer everything myself. In the past, I'd even mix things myself. He does all the P.R., all the management, all the booking — everything has been done with the two of us doing it ourselves. So to actually let go and put it in the hands of people that actually do this for a living, that mix and master and do publicity and all that stuff, that's been the biggest challenge. Because we're, like, 'No, wait.' My career is like our baby — we've built this together — and it's hard to let go and let other people take the reins. But so far, working with Sumerian Records, working with Cosa Nostra PR, everything that they've done has been amazing."

"Controlled Chaos" was released on November 16 via Sumerian Records. The disc was fueled by a Kickstarter campaign which generated over 600 percent of what Strauss was hoping to raise to help offset the costs around creating the record and touring it.

Earlier this year, Strauss became the first female to have a signature series guitar with Ibanez. Nita is also the first female to have signature DiMarzio pickups.