NITA STRAUSS is expecting her first child
05-01-2026
Nita Strauss and husband and manager Josh Villalta announced on Instagram they are expecting their first child together.
The 39-year-old Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band shared a peek at a sonogram and ultrasound and included the following message: “Looks like 2026 will be the best year yet. We’ve waited so long for this miracle and now the time is finally here! He will come into this world surrounded by so much love! So excited to meet our little man this summer”.
Nita and Josh got married in May 2024 at The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in Los Angeles, California. Among the guests at the wedding were Nita‘s Cooper bandmates Alice Cooper and Chuck Garric, DISTURBED singer David Draiman and his now-wife Sarah Uli, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer and his wife Brandi, pop-rock singer Demi Lovato and her now-husband Jordan “Jutes” Lutes, and celebrity chef Chris Santos and his wife, actress Natalie Makenna.
Josh proposed to Nita during the record-release party for her latest solo album, “The Call Of The Void”, on July 6, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.
Villalta and Strauss met in 2011 in the driveway of the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood after being introduced by current Yamaha marketing manager Mike Taft.
In February 2024, Strauss proclaimed her love for Villalta in a social media post, sharing two different photos of the couple and writing: “When people post about relationships, myself included, we always tend to focus on the great times. Which makes a lot of sense! It’s natural to put your best and brightest side forward on social media. What doesn’t always get posted are moments like the second one.
I have found myself struggling a lot lately. And it’s especially in those moments that I am so grateful to have @thejoshv as a partner.
“You all know how strong he is just by looking at him, but what you don’t see on the outside is how strong he is mentally. He’s able to carry the load for both of us at many times, to pick me up in those moments when I need him most, on top of all his own stresses and mental burdens. It’s never ‘too much’ to be there, to push me to be my best and achieve even when I don’t feel like I can. When I need someone stronger than myself, you are always there.
“Every day is Valentine’s Day with you. I can’t wait for a lifetime together from morning gym sessions to after show deep dish pizza, from traveling around the world to sleeping in our bed, and knowing that wherever you are will always be home. I love you!”
“The Call of the The Void” is a star-studded affair featuring guest vocals from DISTURBED‘s David Draiman, ARCH ENEMY‘s Alissa White-Gluz, HALESTORM‘s Lzzy Hale, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE‘s Chris Motionless, IN FLAMES‘ Anders Fridén, Hungarian-born vocalist/writer Dorothy Martin, Alice Cooper and Lilith Czar.
Nita released 2018’s “Controlled Chaos” to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it “a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt”, and Guitar World stating “‘Controlled Chaos’ is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss‘s many strengths”.
In March 2023, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice‘s band for his 2023 tour.
Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Lovato‘s band in the summer of 2022.
Nita made her live debut with Demi in July 2022 with a performance of “Substance” on ABC‘s Emmy Award-winning late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”.
Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker’s former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.
Strauss went viral after she appeared with then THE IRON MAIDENS bandmate Courtney Cox (BURNING WITCHES) at NAMM 2013, where the performed a rendition of IRON MAIDEN‘s ‘The Trooper’in the Roland booth.
In an interview with U.K.’s GuitarGuitar, Nita Strauss spoke about her plans for the follow-up to her second solo album, “The Call Of The Void”, which came out in July 2023 via Sumerian Records. She said: “ Well, album three is in the works. I was actually doing Zoom sessions earlier this week right here in the U.K. I’ve been already writing and recording. We’ve got about half an album’s worth of material demoed out and ready. I haven’t had a chance to actually be in the studio and record it properly yet, but I do a lot of writing and recording on the road. So I use a Universal Audio Arrow (audio interface) and just set it up in my hotel room, plug some headphones in and record wherever I am in the world. And you can get such amazing tones, just using plugins, using your computer, using plugins. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been demoing out new ideas, already kind of getting some guest vocalists in mind, of course, getting some instrumental stuff already on the way as well. So album three, it is gonna happen.”
Asked if there is a tentative release date for her third solo album, Nita said: “No, not yet. My tour schedule is so crazy. I’m gonna be on the road. We’re filming this in July. I’m not really gonna be home until Christmas from now. I’ll be home for a week or two here and there, but really not enough time to be in the studio and record. So I’ll probably try and do the bulk of the recording sometime next year.”
The Los Angeles-born guitarist has become a force to be reckoned with, dazzling over a million audience members per year around the world. Fans may recognize Nita as the touring guitarist for rock legend Alice Cooper and superstar Demi Lovato, the official guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams, as well as her successful career as a solo artist. She has played multiple sports events, including NASCAR races and WWE pay-per-views, most notably her critically acclaimed performance at “WrestleMania 34” in 2018.
“The Call Of The Void” debuted as the No. 1 Top New Artist album on the Billboard chart, No. 1 on the iTunes Rock chart, and No. 4 on the overall iTunes chart, behind only Taylor Swift.
“The Call Of The Void” will arrived on July 7, 2023 via Sumerian Records. The LP features an additional guest appearance by former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman.
Nita released 2018’s “Controlled Chaos” to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it “a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt”, and Guitar World stating “‘Controlled Chaos’ is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss‘s many strengths”.
In March 2023, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice‘s band for his 2023 tour.
Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi Lovato‘s band in 2022. Strauss played her first full live show with Demi in August 2022 at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.
Nita made her live debut with Demi in July 2022 with a performance of “Substance” on ABC‘s Emmy Award-winning late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”.
Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker’s former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.
Nita also participates in health stimulation, with her Nita Strauss “BODY SHRED!” fitness challenge. From lifting weights to Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu and having her very own 90 day ‘Body Shred’ Fitness Challenge, she has built a community of support and accountability for music enthusiasts to get fit. She furthermore states she will never drink alcohol ever again, which she stopped in 2015. Nita was also the first ever female guitar player to have her own signature model at Ibanez Guitars.
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