Blondie’s frontwoman Debbie Harry has spoken candidly about her love life and ageing as she approaches a milestone birthday.
The punk rock icon, famed for songs like Heart of Glass and Atomic, will turn 80 on July 1, 2025.
Harry led an extraordinary life at the centre of popular culture with then long-term boyfriend and Blondie co-founder Chris Stein as their band dominated the late 1970s and early 80s.
However, her life spiralled when the band split up in 1982 and the US Internal Revenue Service repossessed many of her and Stein’s possessions, including their Manhattan townhouse, over a tax dispute.
The pair eventually broke up in 1987, with Stein going on to marry and have children. Harry chose not to and has been reflecting on her life since as her 80th birthday approaches.
Looking back, she concedes “those were tough times,” but is much more sanguine about her future.
Harry was the frontwoman for legendary punk group Blondie
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“I don’t walk around thinking every minute, ‘Oh God, I’m going be 80’ – but that’s sort of how I feel,” Harry revealed in a candid interview with The Times.
The singer maintains a philosophical view about her current stage of life. “That’s the beauty of ageing — you know what it’s about. You have it in your heart and soul and your memory bank,” she reflected.
Harry’s perspective on ageing is influenced by her mother’s outlook, sharing that: “My mother used to say in her head she was 25 and I’m the same.”
To that end, the music icon prides herself on maintaining a youthful attitude and appearance, which she casually credits to her makeup application and “good bone structure and, fortunately, good skin”.
Harry is approaching her 80th birthday
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On her youthful attitude, Harry concedes: “I’m definitely not so adventurous as I was, but I’m still curious. I like the way the world spins.”
That attitude does not extend to relationships, where she exclaimed: “God forbid! I’m terrified. No, I’m kidding, but I don’t think (being in a relationship) is possible.”
Despite her trepidation and initial stance that she was not “in the right position to be dating online”, the 79-year-old was convinced to try the dating app Raya during the interview.
Even though the music icon admitted she preferred experiencing “chemistry between people”, she agreed to try the service and report back on her successes.
Raya is an ultra-exclusive dating app for celebs and other high-profile people where only around eight per cent of applicants are granted a profile. The app hit headlines recently as Lily Allen revealed she had discovered her husband David Harbour was using to app without her knowledge.
Harry’s lack of experience in the modern online dating scene hasn’t stopped her from attempting to flirt with men as she goes about her day.
Harry is willing to experiment with online dating
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Bizarrely, Harry revealed the US hardware store Home Depot is “where I do all my flirting”.
She joked: “There are some big, strong men there. I found somebody there I thought was really sexy. He was working in the garden department. But he was busy.”
Reflecting on other parts of her life, Harry explained she was content with not having children and admitted: “I would have been a terrible parent
“I salute anyone who raises a family, but it doesn’t bother me for some reason.”
