Veteran pop star Debbie Harry's secret for staying at the top #CarryGobySeanKellz #FutureGroupNG via @i_amreginaldjr

SHE has been in the music industry for more than 40 years, so aspiring pop stars should listen to Debbie Harry when she says they need to continually reinvent themselves if they want to last the distance.

Going beyong the comfort zone is the key to pop success, says Blondie's Debbie Harry [REX]

The Blondie front-woman, 68, and her bandmates Chris Stein, Clem Burke and Tommy Kessler, release their 10th album Ghosts Of Download next month and Harry says having lots of collaborations with different artists such as Beth Ditto on the record keeps the band fresh.

“I’m excited because I love the new stuff,” says Harry, who will be performing at this year’s Glastonbury festival in Somerset in June.

It’s good for artists to step out of their comfort zone

Debbie Harry

“It’s always a chance to breathe fresh air. It’s good for artists to step out of their comfort zone.”

But while the singer likes to see artists take risks she also doesn’t mind when people cover her music.

Asked if she knew of Atomic Kitten, who reached number one in 2002 with their cover of Blondie’s 1967 song The Tide Is High, Debbie tells Gay Times magazine: “Of course. I thought it was… OK. It’s funny how that song keeps coming around, it’s very interesting how that happens.

“There’s something about it. We’ve been working on a surprise with that song [for the new album]. There’s a guest artist on it.”