The Pretty Reckless vocalist Taylor Momsen recently shared how meeting Jack White at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2025 ceremony brought back memories of a life-changing childhood experience, as reported by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Momsen explained how attending a White Stripes concert as a young child fundamentally shaped her musical path and inspired her rock career.
“I did get to meet Jack White who I’m a huge fan of the White Stripes,” Momsen said. “The White Stripes was my first really impactful concert that I went to when I was probably like seven or eight and it kind of changed my whole world. I had the records and things, but I had never heard a band. I was in the mosh pit.”
She described the powerful impact of experiencing live rock music for the first time as a child.
“Like I had never been that up close and personal with that much raw loud power coming at me as a child,” she continued. “It blew my mind and it was a moment where I went that I want to do that. My dad took me to the show. He was in the pit with me. I think I was on his shoulders for a minute till some guy yelled at him, put me down. And it was great.”
Momsen also credited her father’s musical influence and explained how the White Stripes performance opened her eyes to the live performance aspect of rock music.
“My dad raised me right with all his records,” she said. “And I think that’s where I got it from starting at a young age cuz I already knew I liked recording studios. I was already writing songs, but I had never really considered the live aspect of a rock and roll career because I’d never really experienced it. And the White Stripes, just two people on a stage could make that much noise was absolutely incredible. So, it’s very cool to meet Jack. He’s awesome.”
This revelation about her early musical awakening provides insight into the journey that led Momsen from child actress to rock frontwoman. This transformation began years before she would fully embrace her musical identity.
Momsen’s early exposure to recording studios came through her acting career, particularly her role as Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Loudwire reported that she recorded “Where Are You Christmas?” for the film, working with composer James Horner and gaining her first professional studio experience at a young age. This early introduction to the recording process would prove foundational to her later musical development.
The transition from child actress to rock musician wasn’t immediate. However, the seeds planted during that White Stripes concert eventually grew into something more substantial. Marine Agronomy noted that Momsen formed The Pretty Reckless in 2009 when she was 14 years old, channeling her early musical influences into a full-fledged rock band. The band’s debut album “Light Me Up” was released in 2010. It showcased her powerful voice and songwriting abilities that had been developing since childhood.
Interestingly, Momsen’s relationship with her Christmas past has evolved over the years. Kerrang! revealed that she spent decades wrestling with the ghost of Christmas past and her association with the Grinch character. However, she has recently rediscovered and embraced this part of her history, even releasing Christmas-themed music with The Pretty Reckless.
“Stepping back and seeing the full-circle moment is wild,” Momsen reflected in a recent interview. “I’ve built my life and identity as an artist through The Pretty Reckless, through rock music, through everything that came after that pivotal White Stripes concert experience.”
The impact of that childhood White Stripes show continues to resonate in Momsen’s career today. It serves as the foundational moment that set her on the path from Hollywood child star to rock icon. Her meeting with Jack White at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony represents a full-circle moment, connecting her current success back to that transformative eight-year-old in the mosh pit who knew she wanted to create that same raw, powerful energy on stage.
