Gossip Girl’s Taylor Momsen is ‘doing something different’ on the music scene

The average trajectory of a star in the acting industry doesn’t involve starting out in a Dr. Seuss-inspired movie before becoming a rock star.

But then again, there is no such thing as an average path in the entertainment business and Taylor Michel Momsen isn’t the average actress.

Famous for her cutesy role in How The Grinch Stole Christmas and later for her role as Jenny Humphrey on the TV show Gossip Girl. Now, though, her days are spent interviewing and playing another role altogether as front woman of the rock band The Pretty Reckless.

After traveling with the Vans Warped Tour and then doing their own shows, the band is gearing up for more performances, continuing Momsen’s journey.

“The Medicine Tour” kicked off March 9 and will bring shows everywhere from Seattle to Vancouver to Los Angeles. The band will also release a new EP later this year and will play alongside Marilyn Manson in its upcoming tour. But the spotlight almost always shines on front woman Momsen and with good reason.

For a girl that went from a very Gossip Girl demeanor to a hard-rock, eyeliner-heavy look, 18-year-old Momsen received a lot of attention when she first began touring. Yet as much as Momsen drew comparisons to rock figures like Courtney Love, especially because of her distinctly deep and semi-raspy voice, she sees her image and her sound as something more.

“[Those comparisons are] mostly just interviewers,” said Momsen. “I don’t hear from that fans or people that I know. Everyone wants to put a label on you so you’re easier to understand, so it’s easier to understand the whole thing. There’s not a lot of females in rock ‘n’ roll so the comparisons are understandable but I’m doing my own thing. I think I’m doing something different.”

And while Momsen’s high profile could accustom her to the tight schedule of being in a band, she never quite predicted where she’d be today.

“The only goal was to be able to make records and to make new music and to write good songs. I never thought about it, about where it would go,” said Momsen. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to kind of let things go naturally and the course they’re meant to go in and not to force anything. And to stay true to my own conviction and my own vision and not bend for anyone for the industry or any sort of outside force. Sometimes it’s a fight but I think it’s worth it at the end of the day.”

While the move from actress to musician oftentimes proves risky, Momsen sees the change as liberating.

“There’s definitely a lot more spontaneity [in the music world],” said Momsen. “What I love about it so much is that I get to write my own songs and sing them. I don’t have to play a character. They’re both great, but acting was pretty much a job.”

In the end, the move from the acting world to the music world turns into more than changes in scheduling. For Momsen, it’s less a job and more of a passion.

“Having the opportunity to only do music and having to do other jobs as well is such a blessing and so amazing and to have that be my only focus is awesome,” said Momsen. “The goal has always kinda been the same thing: to make records and continue doing that. I want to do that for the rest of my life and if I can do that, it’s amazing.”

While most of the tracks on the band’s album Light Me Up are strung together by heavy guitar chords and unabashedly honest lyrics, the band’s new video for “You” also shows a more sensitive side. In fact, Momsen doesn’t stick to the average Courtney Love image, as much as it might seem on the surface. She’s not a fan of flying and she stocks up on lentil soup when on tour and the experience of being in a band has taught her a lot already.

“My perspective of what good is has definitely evolved,” said Momsen. “We’ve gotten the opportunity to tour with so many bands from Evanescnesce to Guns n Roses to [Marilyn] Manson to Foo Fighters, so to be able to watch some of the greatest bands around right now and learn from them has helped my perspective.”

With the current tour under way and a new EP coming soon, the band and Momsen are at a point where they can only keep growing. And Momsen’s no-gimmicks attitude only adds to the band’s unique personality.

“There’s no pre-show ritual,” said Momsen. “I put my shoes on and smoke a cigarette, and we go on.”

And after a long journey in the world of entertainment, sometimes that’s all you really need.