Our Leading Lady: A Conversation with Nitro Nitra
Amongst a sea of muscle-clad tight-blue-jean wearing, blonde-haired, headbanging men stands a tall statuesque Goddess unafraid and glowing with feminine energy. That Goddess is Nitro Nitra, a Wilmington born singer songwriter who has used her talents to turn heads and inspire thousands with her band of heavy hitting players across the country touring with her band and appearing on NBC's 'American Song Contest' . This year Nitro and her band are headlining Milford Ladybug Music Festival on September 30th, and we chatted with her to get the inside scoop on music, fashion, and outer space.
(Nitro of Nitro Nitra at Ladbybug Music Festival in Wilmington. Photo Credit Joe del Tufo)
"Be as Big as u want to be '' is a motto that I love to live by.
- Nitro
Name, place of birth, where you currently live, and pronouns:
Name: Nitro
Born: Wilmington, Delaware
Lives: Middletown, Delaware
What got you into creating music?
Ever since I was a child I could always remember singing. All day every day I would sing, I would rehearse dance moves in my head and make up choreography even before I knew how to do it. It was just always there. Music has always been my first love.
What inspires your onstage fashion and attire?
You know I have always felt that I was somehow beyond this world so it's only fitting for me to dress as such. Even before I started singing on huge stages, I always took advantage of any opportunity to wear an outfit that was not of the norm. "Be as Big as u want to be '' is a motto that I love to live by. It's just so much fun to be over the top in my book. I really enjoy putting on an entertaining performance where we stimulate most of your senses and that includes great visuals.
(Nitro Nitra; photo credit: Nathalie Antonov)
(Nitro Nitra; photo credit: Moonloop Photography)
What was competing on television like? What was a big takeaway from the experience?
For me competing on television for the first time was me "getting my feet wet". It was nerve racking but yet also glorious. That performance helped me to release any fear of failure that was hiding in my unconscious mind. I faced all my fears that day and I was so proud of myself.
My greatest moment from the show was having Snoop Dogg come up to me after my performance and he said "no matter what happens on this show, you have to keep going. Never give up". That was wonderful to hear coming from PaPa Snoop...lol.
“Some people come to the earth to sing some people come to Earth to dance, some people come to the Earth to teach.......But I came to the Earth to ROCK”
-Nitro
How does it feel being a black woman in a genre that has historically been dominated by cis white males?
It feels like "Home" When I'm out there rocking the stage. All of the cells in my body rejoice when the rock guitars meet the drums meets the bass. Whoo. my whole body knows this is exactly the genre where I belong.
I did a Rock Festival a couple of years ago and there were 22 photos in total. They started and ended with white male lead rockers but right smack dead in the middle there was Nitro, a 6 ft black “women rocking harder then one could believe, just by sight, seeing those photos just solidified my purpose here on earth, which is to Rock N Roll!
Some people come to the earth to sing some people come to Earth to dance, some people come to the Earth to teach.......But I came to the Earth to ROCK
What do you want people to take away from your music and live performance?
I have been through a lot in my life so I hope that my life and story will show people that no matter how hard we fall we can always get back up, overcome anything, and become the best versions of ourselves.
When I perform I like to travel to another plane of existence and I invite the audience to come with me by getting out of the mind and moving beyond the body. Forgetting the worries of the world and just setting the Soul Free!
(From left to right: Dan Martino, Jimmy Church, Nitro Nitra, Corey Glimer, and Scout Brady)
What can readers look forward to from you in the future?
The Nitro Nitra collective is made up of some heavy hitters which I refer to as My Kingsmen; We have Scott Brady, Jimmy Church, Corey Gilmer, and Dan Martino. Now that we have the core strong, we are excited for the opportunities coming in 2024.
“Rock Revolution” will be released in September along with the music video and more to follow. We have six more singles coming after that to create a full album!
Watch the official music video for ‘Walk Into The Sun’ and catch Nitro Nitra headlining Milford Ladybug Music Festival on September 30th on the main stage.
