The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless is a New York-based hard rock band fronted by Taylor Momsen, who was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 26, 1993. Inspired by Joan Jett, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, and Garbage's Shirley Manson, Momsen formed the group in 2009, while the child actress was still starring in the US teen drama series Gossip Girl. The band toured with The Veronicas that summer and underwent a series of lineup changes, with lead guitarist Ben Phillips, drummer Jamie Perkins, and bassist Mark Damon eventually emerging at Momsen's permanent bandmates. Beginning with 2010's Light Me Up, The Pretty Reckless enjoyed mainstream success in the UK, where the group's debut single, "Make Me Wanna Die," topped the rock chart. The group also released a long line of chart-topping rock singles in America, including the platinum-selling "Heaven Knows" (from 2014's Going to Hell) and "Take Me Down" (from 2016's Who You Selling For). In addition to writing the bulk of her band's material, Momsen also collaborated with other rock artists, contributing vocals to Paul Barker's solo album Fix This!!! in 2012 and Evanescence's Top 10 single "Use My Voice" in 2020. The same summer that "Use My Voice" was released, "Death by Rock and Roll" became The Pretty Reckless' fifth Number One single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, establishing a new record for a female-led rock band. An album of the same name followed in February 2021, marking the band's fourth full-length record. The Pretty Reckless released a Christmas EP after some time away with Taylor Momsen's Pretty Reckless Christmas (2025), which updates the song "Where Are You Christmas?" which Momsen sang as a child actor in the 2000 movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas.