Taylor Swift has said she put up a "defence mechanism" during the recording of her Reputation album but said the support she received from her fans on the corresponding tour made her feel "different."
The singer released Reputation in 2017 in the wake of her infamous feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West.
''During the Reputation tour, I started to feel like my life felt different, there were different undertone, a different soundtrack," she told Zane Lowe for Apple Music Beats 1 Radio.
"I was defiantly putting up a defence mechanism because I was reflecting on this persona that had been constructed for you.
"The album had two different sides; there was the complete angst and then the real story of the album - about love and friendship."
She added, "At the beginning of the album, there was no explanation, just 'Reputation'. I stuck with it and didn't go back on it. I didn't feel like I owed that to anyone. There was a lot that happened and made me feel really terrible in the last few years."
Swift then spoke about her relationship with her fans and how important that was to her at that time in particular.
"Everything I did was for them," she said. "I didn't need to get every headline. I just needed to reach out to fans. The relationship between me and my fans strengthened Reputation, and actually looking back, it was one of the most beautiful times of my life."
Swift continued, "I really do credit the fans for my resurgence and exuberance. Their enthusiasm of me making new music is what got me to the studio so fast. The energy they had given me, there is so much love and care. These people are really so wonderful to me."
