There's no denying that the rock industry is male-dominated, but that doesn't seem to phase Taylor Momsen. In fact, most of her idols are men. During a recent interview with The Forty Five, The Pretty Reckless singer opened up about her thoughts on the gender disparity (which is the focal point of the band's Tom Morello-assisted single "And So It Went").
“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,” she said simply.
“My idols were men, and it’s not because they were men; it’s just because they wrote the best songs,” Momsen continued. “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.”
Though her view on music is gender-less, the 27-year-old has experienced sexism in the industry. “People have been telling me for years that there is misogyny and sexism in music," she said. "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.”
The Pretty Reckless are gearing up to release their fourth studio album Death By Rock And Roll on February 12.
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