Taylor Swift has said she finds songwriting a cathartic activity and uses it as a "protective armour".
The 29-year-old singer is one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people and performed for her fellow honourees at a ceremony in New York City.
During the performance Swift explained to the audience how producing music allows her to "process" events in her life.
She said: "I've always known it was the main pillar of kind of my sanity as well, like I always looked at writing as sort of like a protective armour.
"Which is weird, because you think of writing about your life, that's usually like a vulnerability, but I think that when you write about your life, it gives you the ability to process your life."
"I use it as a way of justifying things that have happened to me. Whether they're good or bad. I like to honour the good times and really process the bad times when I write."
At the event, Swift performed her song Style from the 2014 album 1989, Delicate, from 2017's Reputation and a throwback track in the form of 2008's Love Story.
Swift recently teased fans with a mysterious countdown clock, with many predicting new music is on the way.
The singer has posted several times about the date April 26.
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