Most articles about up-and-coming music Lissy Trullie mention that not only is she talented, she's also a former model. While that statement is true, it's also led to plenty of misconceptions about the New York-based singer/guitarist. "People assume that I was just like a scenester and I decided to pick up a guitar," Trullie tells Spinner. "I've been playing music since I was a child and I've been in bands since I was a child."

Her brief career in the business started when she originally moved to New York. "I was in college and and I booked my first job and made some money," she says. "This woman was like 'I can take you to an agency and you can earn some money while you're in college.' For any college kid, I think that sounds awesome. Like 'Wait, I just have to stand here in a picture and I get money?' It was something I did for not that long. I wasn't by any means successful at all, so I'm always like 'wait, five or six years later people are still calling me a model?'"

Trullie has also received flak for her brief stint as a DJ at the Beatrice Inn, a former nightclub known for its exclusivity. The owner, a friend of Trullie's, also happens to be the brother of actress Chloe Sevigny, who appears in the video for Trullie's 'Boy Boy.' "I got paid 300 bucks a week and that was my money for the week," Trullie says. "I'm happy that the owner knew me and asked me to DJ there once a week because that was my income. I wouldn't have any money without it. I'm not a real DJ by any means, and every DJ at that club was kind of in the same boat. We played iPods."

So, to clear up any misconceptions, Trullie has a few things she wants people to know. "I actually went to school, I read, I went to college," she says. "I also get angry because it's not something I want to be ashamed of. I don't think the fashion industry is full of retards because that's just a gigantically stupid generalization. There is some 'Zoolander' in there, don't get me wrong, but there are some really great designers and photographers that I'm really happy that I met."

Trullie's expanded EP, 'Self-Taught Learner,' is available now.