Taylor Momsen says her personal life is "none of anyone's business".
The Pretty Reckless star has been in show business for most of her life and probably remains best known for her stint as Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl. The character was pretty and sweet but then had a rebellious makeover, which tied in with Taylor reinventing herself as a rock goddess. She became known for her barely-there outfits and close-to-the-bone lyrics, although she refuses to listen to criticism.
"I don't live my personal life publicly. What I do personally is, frankly, none of your business," she told Kerrang!magazine. "If someone takes a picture of me smoking, they call me a bad role model. Believe me, I don't want to be smoking - it's terrible and I'm trying to quit. But I can't help it. If you put that photo on the internet, that's your fault - you're being a bad role model.
"I'm just an artist. The role model is the music, not me as a person. I'm not here to be your entertainment - the music is. If you really want to learn about my personal life, listen to the songs..."
Many of The Pretty Reckless' tracks have religious overtones and Taylor admits suffering from "Catholic guilt" due to her upbringing - although she insists everyone does to some degree.
The band's lyrics have been slammed by parents who worried they were unsuitable for young kids in the past, but the group - also comprising of Ben Phillips, Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins - has no intention of changing. Their new album is called Going to Hell and Taylor claims anyone who thinks it has a basis in religion isn't listening properly.
"I'm not a Satanist. It's not what I'm saying at all, so it gets a little daunting when people take it so... over the top," she explained. "They're thinking of a shallow level of Hell. It means that they aren't getting the point of the record. Touring the world changed my perspective. There are so many problems and it doesn't seem like anyone's talking or writing about it. From equality and the imbalance of power to [the way] we don't treat the Earth right and we don't treat each other right."
