Taylor Swift has said she finds songwriting a cathartic activity and uses it as a “protective armour”.

The pop star 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, 29, told the audience producing music allowed 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.”

Swift, appearing at the Time 100 Gala in Manhattan on Tuesday, 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 has been busy teasing fans with a countdown, with many predicting new music is on the way.

The singer has posted several times about the date April 26.