The Pretty Reckless' Taylor Momsen on rock's gender disparity: "You should judge music simply on what’s the best song"

The Pretty Reckless' Taylor Momsen has recently admitted she's dealt with some "fucked-up encounters" in her time within the music industry – but stated that these experiences haven't changed how she judges or enjoys music: which is purely just "what’s the best song/who’s the best singer".

Speaking with The Forty-Five, the musician reflects that, "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."

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These days, Taylor – who addresses the male-dominated rock scene in new Pretty Reckless songs like And So It Went and Witches Burn – views music with a very simple and gender/sex-free approach: "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."

Personally, the singer admits that the majority of people she has looked up to in rock and metal have been men – but crucially it isn't because of their gender.

"My idols were men, and it’s not because they were men; it’s just because they wrote the best songs," she says. "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."

The Pretty Reckless’ Death By Rock And Roll is released on February 12 via Century Media.

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