That notion was essentially played on repeat during an interview last week with the actress-turned-rocker, who will tour Europe this summer with her band The Pretty Reckless. While the teen has lived sort of a rock n’ roll lifestyle for a few years now (in print anyway), she’s actually a rookie in the music scene. Reckless dropped their first album “Light Me Up” just over a month ago, and has received considerable radio airplay and buzz. A good reason why? The album is pretty fn good. Filling a void that’s been missing after Courtney Love slayed us with Hole in the mid-90s (not last year), Momsen’s powerful vocals and rawness could bring us to a new era of women rockers. This generation already has its Madonna (read: Gaga) so why shouldn’t they have their own Love.

I caught up with the pretty face who melts faces by phone last week, and asked her about silencing the critics, being labeled “a bad girl,” and whether or not she’s done with acting altogether which is totally possible. Rock and read on.

With all that has been written about you in the papers and blogosphere how awesome is it to get some props for your music?

It’s definitely something to overcome, but every musician has his or her own challenges. The reception to the record has been amazing. I just want them to give it a chance, and ignore the rest. Come to the show…

It seems there has been such a drought in terms of female-fronted rock acts. Would you agree?
I think there’s been a drought in rock music in general. I tend to not think of it as all female. Most of my influences are males. I think definitely there’s been a lull in rock music. It’s just time to come back to it with us and a lot of other bands on the rise.

How happy are you that the album is actually out now, and people can hear what you worked so hard on?
It was the hardest thing for me. I worked on it for two years. I am really relieved that it’s finally come out and I can let the music speak for itself. You can talk all you want, but at the end of the day if the record is not good, it doesn’t matter. The reception has been great. We went from playing a 100-seat club to a 3,000 venue, and once the record came out, we’ve started seeing fans singing every word.

What was the songwriting process like for you?
It wasn’t really a direct process. As a writer, you’re open for anything to inspire you. If I knew where the inspiration came from, it’d be a lot easier to write the record. But, it’s a constant process.

I’m curious. You modeled for Madonna’s clothing line. Did you have any interaction wit her? Did she give you any advice?
Not really. It was a job task but I’m not really one for advice. I take my own advice.

Do you have any regrets?
I don’t really like to look back. It’s a waste of time. I look forward. I’m exciting to tour this summer in Japan, Europe… Ireland, Russia, Australia..it’s a world tour really.

Your role as a rock star will likely take time away from acting. Will you go back to it at some point?
I don’t know… maybe at some point. It’s certainly not what I think about. It’s something I enjoyed and it’s a big part of my life since three years old, but I’m really happy doing what I’m doing. I won’t say I’ll never act again but music is what I think about.

I realize you just released your first but have you thought of the second album yet?

It will be a rock progression but in a different way. I’m just really excited and can’t wait to get back on the road. We leave Wednesday…

Are there any misconceptions about you that you’d like to get off your chest?
I don’t know… probably most things that are written are misconceptions or done in a negative light. They have no idea what I’m really like and you’re not going to find it out from an article or an interview. Buy the record if you want to know what I’m like. Hear the record… that’s my heart and soul there. Judge what I’m actually putting out there. You can’t change what people write. I work 24 hours a day, and I’m really luck to be able to do what I do.

Well, they probably throw you under the bus because you’re so young…
Yeah. I don’t care. I don’t read [what they say]. I don’t even have a computer.

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Fresh off their very first headlining tour, Momsen tells Zap2it that The Pretty Reckless is hitting the summer festival circuit overseas.

“We actually leave [this week] for Germany, so we’re doing a bunch of summer festivals all over Europe and Asia and Australia,” she says. “We’re kind of going everywhere for the next couple months doing the festival circuit, which is awesome, and then in the fall we come back to the states and there will be — I’m not allowed to talk about it yet — but there will be a big announcement and we’re really excited about it.”

Their debut album, “Light Me Up” was only just released in the U.S., but has been out for almost a year now in the U.K. While they’ve been earning the respect of rock fans stateside, Momsen admits that the fanbase is on a larger scale over in Europe — something that may change in the near future. She hints that said “big announcement” will relate to a tour and advises fans to stay tuned to her Twitter account for more details.

The young woman behind the bands emotional and often dark lyrics will celebrate her 18th birthday this July. Momsen’s age may come as a surprise to those who aren’t familiar with her previous work, but she credits her musical inspiration to a unique perspective on life. To an extent, at least.

“It’s hard to define where inspiration comes from,” she says. “If I knew where it came from it would be a lot f***ing easier to write a record. The record, it’s very much about my life. It’s very autobiographical in a lot of ways, but it’s written metaphorically. So not every line is meant to be taken literally, but it is very reflecting of my life.”

Adding “I live a different life than a lot of people, so of course that adds something but I don’t really know what that is… Anyone who starts working at a young age has a different kind of perspective on life. You travel the world and you’re working a job and working from a very young age. You get insight into the world and maybe view the world a different way, which I feel like I do.”

Momsen’s sound may be a far cry from that of Britney Spears, but one thing the “GG” alum has in common with many other ladies her age are fond memories of the “Oops!… I did it again” singer. She tells us that Spears was the very first big arena performer she ever watched.

“I was a big Britney fan growing up,” she admits. “I loved the Beatles, Nirvana and The Who, but I was a dancer so I totally loved Britney when I was dancing.”

Momsen didn’t have much to say about the upcoming “Femme Fatale” tour, but still wishes Brit Brit the best. “If she’s doing what she loves then that’s great,” she says.

We’re really digging this actress turned musician’s latest project and are already looking forward to their next album… Even if Momsen is playing coy with us about when it might happen.

“We are always writing,” she tells us regarding their new tracks. “As a writer you never stop, but it’s nothing definitive yet.”

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While “Gossip Girl” finished out its fourth season without Little J, Taylor Momsen has been keeping busy working on her true passion — music.

The Pretty Reckless frontwoman recently released the band’s debut album, “Light Me Up” to rave reviews in the U.S., while they already have a strong following overseas. Having just wrapped their first headlining tour, Zap2it spoke with Momsen about her exit from the hit CW show and whether or not she’d ever return to acting.

“I don’t know,” she says of a possible return to “GG.” “I’m really happy to be on the road and to be able to tour and play. I mean, that’s what I want to do with my life. So, I’m definitely in a good spot right now and I’m really happy about being able to do that… No plans for it at the moment, but who knows.”

While she’s undoubtedly talented in both fields, Momsen suggests — as she has many other times — that a career as a child actor wasn’t her choice to make. Just shy of 18-years-old, the starlet isn’t convinced that she’ll ever return to acting.

“Music was this thing that I chose, and I chose that at a young age,” she says. “Acting was very much a job for me and it became even more so as I got older and older. I enjoy it fine, but I don’t really miss it right now. I don’t know if I’ll go back to it ever… I’m not gonna say that I’m not, but I don’t know if I will.

“I know that I’ll be making records for the rest of my life. Whether they’ll be put out or not, who knows, but I won’t stop writing,” she adds. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. It very much defines who I am to me and the people around me, but I’m sure it’s still kind of new to the rest of the world.”

While fans and pundits alike have been critical of Jenny Humphrey’s exit from the show, Momsen has remained close with a few of her co-stars, and admits that she’s found support in the “GG” fanbase, as well.

“I love Kelly,” she says of on-screen step mother, Kelly Rutherford. “Kelly and Connor [Paolo, Eric van der Woodsen] have come to bunch of shows. I love both of them, they’re very supportive.”

Adding, “There definitely are [Pretty Reckless] fans who were fans of the show first… but now they’re die hard fans of the band, not just because I was on ‘Gossip Girl.’ And then there’s people that I’m sure looked it up and were like ‘Yeah, f*** that.’”

As for her exit from the show, we asked Momsen if she was happy creatively with the way her character said goodbye.

“Yeah, I mean sure,” she says. “I didn’t have any say over storylines. I don’t know if anyone else did, but I certainly didn’t. You show up and you do what the script says. I don’t have any creative say. So yeah, it’s cool. And I’m happy to be off and able to tour.”

The band is preparing to embark on a worldwide summer festival circuit, but Momsen promises a big announcement in the fall regarding what sounds like a potential stateside tour.
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Last fall, after flipping off most of the Upper East Side, Gossip Girl’s Taylor Momsen toured the country in support of Light Me Up, her surprisingly accomplished debut album with The Pretty Reckless. Well, yesterday it was confirmed that Momsen (and former costar Jessica Szohr) won’t be returning to the show that made her famous enough to have a music career in the first place. Now that she’s a full-time rock star, we wanted to find out how she likes life on the road. Let’s just say, Little J. wouldn’t last an hour.

1. I hate many things about touring, but the worst is the lack of showering. The guys I’m on the road with start to smell like moldy cheese a er a week.

2. I hate playing shows outside during the daytime. Rock music needs lights!

3. I hate when they forget the Red Bull on our catering rider. How else am I supposed to work on no sleep?

4. I hate when the bus driver stops abruptly and I fall out of my bunk. I still have a bruise from the last time.

5. I hate Porta-Pottys. Umm… no thanks. If the town dump smells better than the bathroom facilities, that’s a problem!

6. I hate fast food. (Although I will make an exception for Del Taco.)

7. I hate syncing period cycles with the other women on tour. It’s not necessarily bad for me, but I’m sure the guys don’t appreciate it.

8. I hate when my dog, Petal, can’t come on the road with me. Ever since the “incident” that took place in our guitar player’s shoes, she hasn’t really been embraced by the guys.

9. I hate going through customs, especially at 4am when we we’re sleeping!

10. I hate when my manager tries to make me wear pants.

Photo by Lauren Dukoff.

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Spotted: Two fewer troublemakers on the Upper East Side.

TVLine has learned exclusively that Gossip Girl is parting ways with Taylor Momsen (Jenny) and Jessica Szohr (Vanessa).
A source close to the show confirms that the two actresses will not be returning as series regulars for the CW soap’s upcoming fifth season, but added that both have been invited back on a guest star basis.

The departures of Momsen and Szohr hardly come as a complete surprise. Momsen — who has made no secret of her desire to make music her primary focus — has appeared in only a handful of episodes this season. Similarly, Szohr’s alter ego has been given little to do save for a little eavesdropping and meddling here and there. What’s more, Vanessa recently revealed that she was leaving town to study abroad.

Momsen fronts Pretty Reckless — an alt-rock band signed to Interscope who released their debut, ‘Light Me Up, in 2010. Contrary to the album’s title, Momsen shows a darker side throughout the album, showcasing her raspy, powerful set of pipes and skilled songwriting. In her signature peroxide tresses and dramatic, dark eye makeup, she sat down with AOL Music to dish on the details behind her ‘Gossip Girl’ hiatus, the concert that changed her life and her advice for aspiring young stars.

You have your band the Pretty Reckless, but obviously people also know you from ‘Gossip Girl,’ too. What would you say is your first love — music or acting?
Music, without a doubt.

And if you could only do one or the other for the rest of your life?
Music. I don’t even have to think about that one.

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Would you say that you prefer your bandmates to your ‘Gossip Girl’ co-stars?
Well, that’s such an unfair question. You have to ask, “Do you hang out with everyone you work with?” As for ‘Gossip Girl,’ we’re a cast, we’re put together. I’m cool with everybody, but we’re not best, best friends outside of work. And you know, a band is like family.

How did you all come together to form the Pretty Reckless?
It’s a long story. I was a singer-songwriter for a long time working with different producers and I got hooked up with Kato, who produced the record. And that’s when I met Ben [Phillips] (guitar, backup vocals) and we ended up writing the record together. I met Mark [Damon] (bass) and Jamie [Perkins] (drums) through them and over the two-year process of making the record it sort of naturally formed into a band by the end of it … and here we are.

What is the creative process amongst the group when you’re all coming up with a new song?
The creative process is great! There is no real kind of quote unquote process, though. Every song is done so differently. [It] starts from a different place and there is no direct formula, you know?

When did you first get into music?
Well I’ve been singing since before I can remember and I started writing songs when I was 5 years old. I grew up playing piano, but then stopped and switched to guitar when I was like 8. So, kind of my whole life.

Who were some of your musical inspirations when you were younger?
Well, the Beatles were my favorite band of all time (and still are). I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock on vinyl. I’m a big rock ‘n’ roll fan. I have massive vinyl collections of Led Zeppelin, the Who, Pink Floyd, AC/DC. You know, the greats.

So, who is on your dream collaborations list?
Well, there’s a bunch of people. I would love to write a song with Noel Gallagher. I would do a song with all of Oasis, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. So, I’ll take Noel Gallagher. I’d love to do something with Lenny Kravitz or DMX. I don’t know, I have a bunch of people I would love to work with.

You and DMX — that would be a cool combination.
DMX is awesome.

Tell us about your first concert — seeing Britney Spears …
Well, I was a big Britney fan. I was also a dancer growing up, so to me the production of the show was amazing. I remember that was what I loved about it — it was a show. It wasn’t about the songs exactly. It was about the whole package, the whole performance. And the stage was insane. The amount of things going on! I was like, “how can you do that on a stage?” I couldn’t even understand it.

Then when I saw the White Stripes it was a different feel and it was very much about the music. It was so overwhelmingly loud. And just the energy — that was a very definitive moment for me when I was like, “Oh, I want to do nothing but play in a rock band”.

Is the show aspect and the theatricality something that is important to you for your own music?
I mean, I’m all down for pyro[technics] and lights, but you’ve got to work your way up to that! It’s still very much about the music for me. I wouldn’t want the show to overtake what we’re actually doing on stage.

As far as your schedule goes these days, are you jumping back and forth between filming and your music career?
I’m very focused on music right now and we’re touring for the next year. So, it’s a busy, busy year for us. We got on 24 planes in the last month, just to give you an idea of what it’s like. It’s pretty crazy, but awesome.

So, is your ‘Gossip Girl’ hiatus permanent, then?
Well they’re writing me out right now so that I can tour. They’re being very supportive of the band and we kind of have an agreement so that I can tour, because I can’t do both. I can’t be in New York and then in London playing, you know what I mean? So, I have to thank them for that. You won’t see me for a while — and we don’t even know if we’re picked up for another season yet.

Do you have any big acting aspirations beyond ‘Gossip Girl’, or are you just thinking solely about music?
I mean, I want to make music. Music is something that I chose. I was put into acting at 3 years old. I like it fine, but it’s still very much a job to me. Music is something I couldn’t live without. So I want to play in a band, I want to write songs and make records and tour. Whether I will act again or never act again, I don’t f—ing know.

What about modeling? You’ve already been a spokesmodel for a John Galliano fragrance and the face of Madonna’s Material Girl line.
Yeah, I’ve been modeling the longest, since I was two. I’ve had a lot of great experiences. I mean, working with Madonna was amazing — it’s Madonna. And it was definitely an honor to be chosen by her to be the first face of her first clothing line. I was like, “What?” I didn’t believe it when I got the call. I have a really cool photo of Madonna taking my photo. She took some of the pictures for the campaign, and it’s great. It’s awesome.

Do you want to work in the fashion industry in any other capacity besides modeling?
I would love to have a fashion line one day. I want to hav shoes in it, a fully encompassing fashion line. I don’t know when I would do that, because I want to have the time to really commit to it, not just come up with the line and then give it to someone else. I really want to be involved in the designing and everything. I don’t have the time to do that right now, but sometime in the future I would love to do that.

You’ve been working in the entertainment industry since you were 2 years old and you’re 17 now. Do you ever wish you had a normal childhood?
I don’t really think about it. You only know what you know and I like where I am now. I’m very happy with where I am right now, so I wouldn’t change anything. But at the same time, I don’t know what I missed, you know what I mean? It’s been a different kind of life so far.

When you look at other child stars — the ones who have fallen off the wagon so to speak — do you ever fear that might happen to you?
No! I care about what I do. That never even crossed my mind. I love what I do. I enjoy my job, so that’s the focus. I can’t imagine getting sidetracked from that. Writing and playing is my favorite thing in the world and I can’t imagine anything distracting me from that.

You’ve been in the entertainment business for so long. You’re still so young, but what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far about how to stay sane in this industry?
Don’t do it unless there’s something in it that you love. There is a lot of work and a lot of rejection, it’s a tough industry. You really have to have a thick skin and I’ve built up thick skin. If you don’t have that passion and if you can’t say that it’s something you cant live without, all the other negative aspects of it can become overwhelming.

Do you pay attention at this point to anything that is written about you in the tabloids?
I don’t even have a computer. Really, I don’t. So, I don’t pay attention at all.

http://taylor-daily.com/2011/04/rowdy-muscularity-and-sweet-harmonies/ http://taylor-daily.com/2011/04/rowdy-muscularity-and-sweet-harmonies/#comments Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:57:29 +0000 Courtney http://taylor-daily.com/?p=2158

Usually it falls to the writers to get a character purged from a network television series, but Taylor Momsen, who plays the naïve manipulator Jenny Humphrey on “Gossip Girl,” appears to be taking matters into her own hands. For the last two years her other alter ego has been as the frontwoman of the Pretty Reckless, a battering ram of a hard-rock band that she has no difficulty steering. “Light Me Up” (Interscope) is the group’s first full-length album, and it’s terrific fun: salacious, convincingly muscular, unnervingly rowdy. Ms. Momsen, 17, comes by her snarl by way of Courtney Love and Lita Ford, drizzles her lyrics with winks at Tina Turner and Kelly Clarkson and never sounds happy on this album for more than a couple of seconds at a time. “Do you have a light?” she purrs on the title track. “Can you make me feel all right/There’s plenty of white to go around.” Were she a Disney star, she’d be fired by now, but “Gossip Girl” writers might be listening closely, harvesting ideas.

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