Taylor Momsen insists she doesn't use her sexuality to shock.

The 20-year-old singer posed naked for the front cover of her band The Pretty Reckless' upcoming album Going To Hell record, causing a storm on social media when she posted the artwork. On the LP sleeve Taylor is seen showing off her back which has a giant cross emblazoned on it with an arrow pointing to her bare bottom, but she is adamant the risque pose is artistically motivated.

"Everyone was like, 'Woah, she's naked.' But everything I do has an artistic purpose behind it, from clothing to my new record cover. I don't set out to shock - I've definitely matured and evolved. I'm just a person, I make art. My sexuality is there for a reason it's not just about lewdness," she said.

The former Gossip Girl actress admits she was perplexed by her sexuality in her teens but used clothes and fashion to learn about herself. "In the beginning it was me in corsets and stripper heels and all that - I was a kid, everyone thought it was so shocking because I was young and you have to be older to wear that stuff. I was a kid confused about sexuality and all of that and expressing that confusion in all of it. I think all teenagers express themselves in that way, I was just being very overt about it," she explained.