Taylor Momsen Calls Pretty Reckless' Light Me Up 'Honest'

Taylor Momsen has been teasing fans for quite some time now about her debut album. This week, she and the Pretty Reckless finally dropped Light Me Up, a searing rock album that features the "Gossip Girl" star growling over guitars.

Momsen said she's been talking about it so much that finally having it out is still kind of unbelievable.

"It doesn't exactly feel real yet. I've been talking about it for a long time," she told. "I'm very excited for people to hear it."

Momsen has had a big task as she pushes to get people to hear the album. She needs to somehow convince the world that she isn't just another starlet thinking it might be cool to release an album. For her, music is what it's really all about.

"It's still something I have to overcome," she explained. "I don't think it's fully transitioned. I would consider myself a musician that also acts. I've been writing songs since I was 5. It's the thing that I chose for myself. I wasn't put into it. I made the decision and couldn't live without it, and hopefully people will give the record a chance and they'll hear that. They'll hear that it's not some side vanity project [but] that I really, really worked on it for a long time, really my whole life."

While many of her peers in La La Land have opted to release more top 40-friendly tunes, Momsen has embraced grunge alt.

"I wouldn't have ever put out a dance record and probably never will," she said. "I think there's a place for all types of music, but it's not my cup of tea.

"I love classic rock," she continued. "What I love about music is I love playing. That's what I loved about music to begin with; that's what I fell in love with. It was the rawness and hearing the imperfections and having the imperfections be what makes it so unique and honest. I really wanted to make an honest record. That was the outlook that kept me sane and honest."

Out of the 11 tracks on the record, Momsen said she can't really nail down her favorite. "I think there's something for everyone on the record," she said. "There was no real formula to the way that we wrote. It's hard to define that, but 'Make Me Wanna Die' [is my favorite song] if I had to pick one. It was the first song written for the record, so it kind of defined the direction."