The Pretty Reckless

History

From Hollywood to Hard Rock

The Pretty Reckless began in New York City as an unlikely pairing: a teenage television star chasing a career in hard rock. At the center stood Taylor Momsen, the actress known worldwide as Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl. Leaving a glittering Hollywood career behind for music was an unconventional choice for an actress at the height of her television fame, and it set the band on a course toward becoming a fixture on Mainstream Rock radio.

The Child Star’s Dilemma

Taylor Momsen was born on July 26, 1993, in St. Louis, Missouri. She began modeling at age two and rocketed to Hollywood stardom at seven, playing Cindy Lou Who opposite Jim Carrey in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She went on to build a solid acting resume with roles in Spy Kids 2 and other productions.

Her run on Gossip Girl, which began in 2007, brought even greater fame—but also a suffocating sense of artistic imprisonment. Momsen loved acting but found music more personal: writing and performing her own material let her be herself rather than play a character.

The Pivot to Music

Momsen’s passion for music ignited early. A song she wrote at age eight eventually landed on reality star Heidi Montag’s album, showcasing her innate talent. In 2009, she took the plunge and formed a band.

By August 2011, Momsen confirmed in an interview with Elle magazine that she had left acting behind to focus entirely on music, following her exit from Gossip Girl as a regular cast member earlier that year. The decision underscored her full commitment to the band.

From The Reckless to The Pretty Reckless

The band’s original name was simply The Reckless. Trademark issues forced a name change, and Momsen added “Pretty” to create The Pretty Reckless.

The Early Lineup (2009)

The lineup that debuted on June 3, 2009, consisted of: Taylor Momsen (vocals/rhythm guitar), John Secolo (lead guitar), Matt Chiarelli (bass), Nick Carbone (drums)

The band played its first-ever show on May 5, 2009, at The Annex in New York, backed by a different, unnamed set of musicians. After seven performances, the Secolo/Chiarelli/Carbone lineup took shape and made its own debut at the same venue on June 3, 2009, before opening for Australian pop duo The Veronicas on their North American tour. However, early performances received mixed reviews.

A New Lineup Takes Shape

Producer Kato Khandwala changed the band’s direction after Momsen had spent time working with pop producers who didn’t fit her vision. Khandwala, a true rock producer, introduced her to guitarist and songwriter Ben Phillips.

Momsen and Phillips clicked as songwriting partners, and bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins soon completed the lineup. The Pretty Reckless built a stable creative core around Momsen and Phillips’ songwriting partnership. This new lineup was already in place by the band’s appearance at the 2010 Vans Warped Tour.

Grunge Meets Hard Rock

The Pretty Reckless’ early sound was light-years away from the pop-punk and electronic rock dominating the late 2000s. They fused ’90s Seattle grunge with bluesy ’70s classic rock elements. While Momsen cited The Beatles as a foundational influence, she gravitated toward the dark, heavy sounds of Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam.

Momsen named Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell as her greatest vocal inspiration, and it showed: a raw, powerful, lower-register vocal style defined the band’s sound as genuine hard rock rather than lightweight “girl rock.”

Key Influences

• The Beatles: Foundational influence on song structure and melody
• Soundgarden: The album Superunknown profoundly shaped the band’s sonic landscape and served as common ground between Momsen and Phillips
• Nirvana & Kurt Cobain: Influenced the emotional attitude and lyrical approach, channeling anger and alienation
• Joan Jett & Courtney Love: Inspired the frontwoman attitude and visual aesthetic

The Making

Work on Light Me Up spanned from 2009 to 2010, with recording sessions at Water Music and House of Loud studios in New Jersey. Every track was co-written by Taylor Momsen, Ben Phillips, and producer Kato Khandwala.

Khandwala took an unusually hands-on role in shaping the record, layering Phillips’ guitar tones into a dense, gritty backdrop for Momsen’s vocals. The album’s songs came together through straightforward writing and selection rather than any elaborate concept.

Themes and Key Tracks

Light Me Up explored surprisingly dark and cynical themes for a record fronted by a teenager. Drug use, death, religious doubt, and sexuality dominated the lyrical content.

“Make Me Wanna Die” served as the album’s lead single and the band’s signature song. With its gothic atmosphere reminiscent of Twilight and explosive choruses, Momsen explored the boundary between love and death. The track gained wider recognition when it appeared on the 2010 Kick-Ass soundtrack.

“Miss Nothing” tackled the emptiness following excessive pleasure. Its music video featured Momsen in imagery suggesting Mary Magdalene/Jesus, sparking religious controversy.

“My Medicine” confronted addiction to alcohol and drugs head-on, showcasing strong blues-rock influences.

Release Strategy and Commercial Performance

Before the full album dropped, the band released a self-titled EP, The Pretty Reckless, on June 22, 2010. It featured three key album tracks: “Make Me Wanna Die,” “My Medicine,” and “Goin’ Down.”

The full album Light Me Up hit Australian stores on August 27, 2010, followed by a UK release on August 30, but didn’t arrive in the US until February 2011, nearly six months later.

The transatlantic response couldn’t have been more different. The band found a receptive UK audience: the debut peaked at #6 on the UK Albums Chart and #1 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. “Make Me Wanna Die” also topped the UK Rock Chart.

Meanwhile, the US response was lukewarm. The album stalled at #65 on the Billboard 200, with promotion constrained in part by Momsen’s concurrent commitments to Gossip Girl. However, it reached #10 on the Billboard Alternative Albums chart and #18 on the Rock Albums chart, gradually building a devoted genre fanbase.

Critical Reception

Critics largely praised the band’s musical chops, though several reviews couldn’t resist noting Momsen’s Gossip Girl fame in the same breath. Metacritic scored the album 74, placing it in generally favorable territory. The New York Times‘ Jon Caramanica called the record terrific fun, while AllMusic singled out Momsen as one of the strongest, most striking female voices in alt-rock since Garbage’s Shirley Manson.

Controversy erupted over the official video for “Make Me Wanna Die,” which featured 16-year-old Momsen in nude scenes and was delayed for months over legal concerns before its release.

Live Tours and Growth

The Light Me Up Tour ran from August 2010 through March 2012—over a year and a half. The band graduated from small clubs to major festival stages.

Opening for Evanescence in 2011 earned Momsen praise from Amy Lee for her vocal performance. Landing opening slots for Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy Tour solidified their credibility with rock fans. These touring experiences steadily built Momsen’s reputation as a commanding frontwoman rather than a “singing actress.”

Going to Hell (2014)

The 2014 sophomore album Going to Hell announced the band’s evolution into heavier, more aggressive hard rock territory. Drawing from Momsen’s Catholic upbringing, religious metaphors of hell, damnation, and salvation dominated the darker themes. The sound grew rawer, with blues-inflected, riff-driven songs.

Three singles—”Heaven Knows,” “Messed Up World (F’d Up World),” and “Follow Me Down”—consecutively topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, making The Pretty Reckless the first female-fronted band ever to notch three consecutive number ones on the chart. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200, the band’s highest chart position.

Who You Selling For (2016)

The third album saw the band expand beyond pure hard rock. Rather than aggression, the sound leaned toward organic, primal influences from ’70s classic rock, blues, and soul. Tracks like “Take Me Down” drew inspiration from Robert Johnson’s legendary “deal with the devil” mythology, incorporating keyboards and backing vocals for a richer sound.

Lead single “Take Me Down” again topped the Mainstream Rock chart, making The Pretty Reckless the first act to send its first four chart entries straight to #1. The album reached #13 on the Billboard 200.

Death by Rock and Roll (2021): Loss and Resurrection

The album grew directly out of the deaths of longtime producer Kato Khandwala and mentor Chris Cornell, and the band’s path through that grief toward healing.

On May 17, 2017, The Pretty Reckless opened for Soundgarden at Detroit’s Fox Theater—Chris Cornell’s final performance. Cornell died in the early hours of May 18, a profound loss for the band.

Making matters worse, producer Kato Khandwala died in a motorcycle accident on April 25, 2018. The pair of losses sent the band into a period of deep grief, which they ultimately chose to process through music.

Death by Rock and Roll traverses grunge, country, and hard rock, channeling sorrow, anger, and healing. Legendary musicians including Tom Morello, Kim Thayil, and Matt Cameron contributed guest performances. “Only Love Can Save Me Now” features Soundgarden members Thayil and Cameron, tying the song directly to Seattle grunge.

The title track and two other singles hit #1, extending the band’s female-fronted record for most Mainstream Rock No. 1s. The album opens with a recording of Kato’s footsteps, and closes with “Harley Darling,” a direct tribute to him.

Chart Success and Historic Achievements

The band’s run of Mainstream Rock No. 1s built a reputation as one of rock radio’s most consistent hitmakers. By the time of their 2021 album Death by Rock and Roll, they had seven #1 hits — a solo record among female-fronted acts until Halestorm matched it in 2024.

On August 22, 2025, the band released “For I Am Death,” their first new music in four years. That November, the single reached #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, becoming their eighth chart-topper, breaking their tie with Halestorm, and giving The Pretty Reckless sole possession of the record for most No. 1s by a female-fronted act in Mainstream Rock Airplay chart history.

The song became the lead single for the band’s fifth studio album, Dear God. Ahead of the album’s June 26, 2026 release through Fearless Records, second single “When I Wake Up” reached #1 on the same chart on June 13, extending the record to nine No. 1s.

No. 1 tracks: “Heaven Knows” (2014), “Messed Up World (F’d Up World)” (2014), “Follow Me Down” (2015), “Take Me Down” (2016), “Death by Rock and Roll” (2020), “And So It Went” (2021), “Only Love Can Save Me Now” (2021), “For I Am Death” (2025), “When I Wake Up” (2026)

Between 2013-2016, they sent their first four Mainstream Rock Airplay chart entries straight to #1. Then starting in 2020, they did it again — a second run that has since grown to five consecutive No. 1s extending into 2026. Of the 11 songs they’ve charted, nine hit #1, while the other two peaked at #2 (“Oh My God”) and #12 (“Back to the River”).

On October 31, 2025, the band released the Christmas EP Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas digitally (physical release November 14). The EP features Momsen re-recording “Where Are You Christmas?”, the song she first recorded in 2000 at age seven for How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The band opened for legendary rockers AC/DC on their Power Up Tour, which kicked off in May 2024, playing stadium shows across Europe and North America to some of the largest crowds of the band’s career.

The Legacy

The Pretty Reckless’ journey has been a battle against the massive “Gossip Girl” label. Taylor Momsen moved away from the pop-oriented direction she had first explored, recruiting musicians like Ben Phillips to build an authentic rock sound instead. Under producer Kato Khandwala’s guidance, debut album Light Me Up struggled initially in the US market but proved the band’s worth through explosive UK success and positive critical reception.

Bringing Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins into the fold after the band’s early lineup didn’t work out gave The Pretty Reckless a steady, experienced rhythm section — the base that carried them through more than a decade (2014–2026) of Mainstream Rock No. 1s as a female-fronted act.

Having transformed grief into art, they rode that momentum into an unbroken run at the top of Mainstream Rock Airplay that stretched into 2026.