Guitarist Nita Strauss, who recently announced her departure from Alice Cooper’s band, confirmed rumors that she had joined Demi Lovato’s backing group with a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night (July 14th).
Earlier this week, Strauss posted a note on her Instagram revealing that she would not be joining Alice Cooper on his upcoming fall tour after playing guitar in the legendary shock rocker’s band for eight years.
She seemed to suggest that the departure might be permanent when she wrote, “The past eight years together has been the experience of a lifetime, and I could not be more grateful to Alice and Sheryl Cooper, Shep Gordon, the amazing band, crew and fans for welcoming me to all of your nightmare. I don’t know what the future will hold after this, but I am forever thankful.”
However, Strauss did also state that fans would be hearing from her very soon, with reports quickly surfacing that she had joined Lovato’s band. That was all confirmed on Thursday night when the guitarist played alongside Lovato on the latter’s new single “Substance” for the Kimmel appearance.
“Substance” finds Lovato embracing a pop-punk side in the vein of Avril Lavigne, with the singer’s forthcoming album, Holy Fvck (due August 19th), expected to deliver a more rocking sound than past efforts. Lovato also played guitar during the Kimmel performance, with Strauss offering up some pretty heavy riffage in the second half of the song.
Fans can catch Lovato, with Strauss on guitar, on an upcoming North American tour. The outing will be preceded by a couple of August state fair gigs and a few South American shows before properly kicking off September 22nd in Wheatland, California. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
Meanwhile, Alice Cooper announced that guitarist Kane Roberts would be returning to his band to replace Strauss. The rock legend kicks off a North American tour himself on September 7th in Bethlehem, Pennsyvania, with tickets available here.
Watch Nita Strauss perform with Demi Lovato on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as Lovato’s other segments on the show, below.
DEMI LOVATO FIRST LIVE PERFORMANCE OF SUBSTANCE ON JIMMY KIMMEL pic.twitter.com/ho3fli87Q3
— anna (@buterasglass) July 15, 2022