The 79-year-old singer - who had a relationship with Blondie bandmate Chris Stein throughout the 1970s and 1980s - is currently single and explained that she just wanted to "get out" of her hometown in New Jersey.
"I wanted to get out in the world. Maybe if I'd have been madly in love I would have settled down, but it wasn't like that for me. I had ambition," she told The Sunday Times.
The One Way Or Another hitmaker also believes that her late parents would have been "happy" with the way things that turned out for her, even if she did start to embrace the negative sides of the rock star life.
"(My parents) were proud I achieved something because they just thought I was a drug addict," she said.
"It turns out that I was a drug addict, but I also made music so it was OK. I think they'd be happy with the way my life turned out."
Blondie sold more than 40 million records during their heyday and split in 1982, but got back together in 1997.
Harry says she has "no more nerves" over the prospect of performing these days because she has a wealth of experience behind her.
"Yup. I have no more nerves now," she said.
"Experience is the key. It hasn't all been lucky, but I feel I've been treated very generously by the fickle finger of fate and I'm just more content than I used to be.
"I tried very hard to do something and succeeded, and having some success is a terrific elixir."
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