“Watching her on the biggest stage in the world, with the biggest star in the world, blazing solos faster than anybody that I’d ever seen”: Nita Strauss on the guitarist that inspired her to pursue a career in music

From touring the world with top artists like Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato to building an impressive repertoire of solo music and guest appearances, Nita Strauss has become one of the most recognizable players in the guitar world and beyond.

However, during a recent chat at Guitar Summit, Strauss revealed that she might not be here if it weren’t for a certain guitarist.

“It’s important to act as a role model, even if you aren’t one on a grand scale,” she asserts. “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.”

Nita Strauss – Guitar Summit 2024 – Rock Antenne Stage – YouTube

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A pioneer in her own right, Batten is perhaps best known for her role as Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist during his Bad world tour. She also became a key part of his troupe in the late ’80s and ’90s, and starred during his iconic 1993 Super Bowl halftime performance.

Beyond the King of Pop, Batten also spent three years touring with Jeff Beck and lent her skills to Who Else! (1999) and You Had It Coming (2001).

“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.’”

Michael Jackson – Super Bowl Performance 1993 [AI UPSCALED 4K 60 FPS] – YouTube

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Strauss had previously likened discovering Batten to “a kid finding a Barbie that looked like her for the first time”.

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“There was somebody like me doing it, and here she is on the biggest stage in the world with the biggest star in the world, and it’s not a chick thing,” she said in a 2023 interview with Premier Guitar.

“She’s playing circles around all these guys. She’s not there because she’s beautiful. She’s not there because she’s a great performer. She is all those things, but she’s there because of the technique and the performance and just delivering night after night after night. And that was my biggest thing: If she can do it, I can do it too.”