The Pretty Reckless‘ Taylor Momsen has weighed in on the gender disparity within the music industry, divulging that she’s experienced “fucked-up encounters” over the course of her career.
The Pretty Reckless are currently gearing up to release their fourth album, Death By Rock and Roll, set to land on February 12th. In a new interview with The Forty-Five, the musician delved into the band’s latest singles ‘And So It Went’ and ‘Witches Burn’ — two tracks that explore her relationship with the male-dominated rock scene.
‘And So It Went’ – a collaboration with Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello – detail Momsen’s personal experience of navigating the music industry after being mistreated. When asked whether there were personal experiences she’s had over the course of her career that she wishes she could change, Momsen admits “I’ve certainly had my fair share of fucked-up encounters, but I wouldn’t generalise it as ‘that’s the way it is’.”
She continued, “People have been telling me for years that there is misogyny and sexism in music. I think the older I’ve gotten, the more I can look back on certain situations.
“Maybe someone said something to me that I took as a compliment at the time, and I look back and realise that it was a misogynistic comment that wouldn’t be considered PC now, but I never felt that in an aggressive way.”
Check out ‘And So It Went’ by The Pretty Reckless:
Elsewhere in the interview, Momsen went on to detail that she believes music should be based on credulity, not on gender. Admitting that most of her formative music “idols” purely based on her opinion that “they wrote the best songs”.
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“I grew up worshipping John Lennon and The Beatles, and Chris Cornell and Soundgarden – it’s not because of what was going on in their pants, it’s because I connected to what they were saying and what they were emoting,” she explained.
“You should judge music simply on what’s the best song/who’s the best singer. That should have nothing to do with your sex or gender… Good people are good people, and good musicians are good musicians — it’s as basic as that.”
