"Gossip Girl" Star Taylor Momsen's Pretty Reckless Post Two Demos

We've already seen Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen and her band the Pretty Reckless onstage, and now we can hear what the band has been working on in the studio, thanks to a pair of demos posted on the group's MySpace page. The not-fully-realized songs are called "He Loves You" and "Zombie" (not the Cranberries "Zombie," though that'd be pretty cool). Both tracks were penned by Momsen and showcase the actress' surprisingly affective singing voice, which sounds more mature than her 16 years.

"There's a couple [of women I look up to]. I have so many female idols," Momsen told MTV. "Debbie Harry I think is brilliant and Joan Jett and Cherie Currie did their thing. And I think Courtney Love worked it out in her time. But Debbie Harry by far is just brilliant." Even though she's a big fan of Blondie and Hole, Momsen's first songs sound closer to the power-punk of Avril Lavigne on "He Loves You" while "Zombie" falls into Amy Lee territory.

Taylor Momsen and her Pretty Reckless crew made their debut in May with a concert at New York club the Annex, Rock Daily previously reported. The band is signed to Interscope Records, who will release the Pretty Reckless' debut disc later this year. Momsen's Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester also has a debut album in the works. In addition to contributing to Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad," Meester's single "Body Control" also recently leaked out last month.

For much more on Gossip Girl, check out our GG hub for photos, interviews and video of the cast.

Related Stories:
• "Gossip Girl" Taylor Momsen Debuts Band, The Pretty Reckless
• "Gossip Girl" Actress Leighton Meester Inks Record Deal

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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