Taylor Momsen on the challenges she faces singing Chris Cornell’s songs with Soundgarden
Taylor Momsen says singing Chris Cornell’s songs with Soundgarden is both an honour and a demanding task. The Pretty Reckless singer, who describes Soundgarden as a band that changed her life, says she feels pressure to perform the music while also taking joy and pride in celebrating Cornell and the group.
Momsen has joined Soundgarden’s surviving members at several tributes and events, including the 2019 I Am The Highway concert, a 2022 Taylor Hawkins tribute and the band’s 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. She says the challenge lies not only in matching the songs’ vocals, but in navigating their shifting time signatures, which can be hard to detect until she performs them.
- Momsen calls performing with Soundgarden an honour.
- She says the songs’ time signatures are a key challenge.
- She has joined the band at several tribute events.
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Soundgarden are an American rock band whose singer, Chris Cornell, was known for a powerful voice and songs that often shift in rhythm and structure. Cornell died in 2017; the band’s surviving members have since performed at tributes and other events.
Taylor Momsen is the singer of the rock band The Pretty Reckless and has joined Soundgarden’s surviving members to perform some of their songs. Taking on Cornell’s parts involves both the vocal demands of the music and its changing rhythms, while the performances also honour the band’s work and Cornell’s place in it.