By . Simon Cable . and Emma Lowe . PUBLISHED: . 18:15 EST, 27 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:11 EST, 28 February 2014 . Rock On: Debbie Harry at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London. Debbie wears: 1965 pink vintage Jean Muir dress and jacket from a selection at williamvintage.com, silver croc courts £460 Gian Marco Lorenzi, studded cuff/bracelet £370 Bijoux de Famille at theboxboutique.com, cat ear sunglasses £425 Anna-Karin Karlsson at theboxboutique.com . She was one of the biggest sex sirens of the 1970s, whose picture adorned the bedroom wall of a generation of teenage boys. And four decades on, Debbie Harry has managed to remain as timeless as one of her chart-topping hits. The 68-year-old Blondie frontwoman appears remarkably unchanged from the days when she was better-known as the Punk Princess because of her eccentric sense of style and wild performances on stage. The star last night became the first-ever woman to win a lifetime achievement prize at the prestigious NME awards in London and used the event to reveal she and her band will be playing Glastonbury this year. And despite approaching her 70th birthday, the star appears to have lost none of her ability to shock, praising the antics of controversial stars such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga. The singer said that their often highly sexualised performances were more entertaining than artists who preferred bland stage shows. ‘If you look back, one of my statements early on, in a naïve way, was that “sex sells”, she said. ‘Men in rock bands have been doing it since the get-go and I think it is part of the entertainment world, because you have to present something theatrical. ‘There are bands that just stand there and play and look very dour, but I’ve always admired people like Bowie who create a character and dress flamboyantly. ‘They’re telling a story and I like people who have a strong sense of themselves and their comfort zone, and are not afraid to do what they do. ‘The obvious and best example is Lady Gaga, because she has gone to the extreme. She has sort of taken the Leigh Bowery route with all the fetishy things, her look is so strong and sexual. ‘It’s almost to the point of being scary, but the audience likes to be scared some times.’ 'Sex sells': Blondie singer Miss Harry in 1987 . Frontwoman: Miss Harry with Blondie arriving for the 2014 NME Awards, where she became the first woman to win the lifetime achievement award . Blondie enjoyed phenomenal success in the late 1970s – topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with hits such as Heart Of Glass and Sunday Girl – before splitting for  the first time in 1982, when Harry launched a solo career. The group re-formed in 1996 and reached No 3 in the UK charts with comeback album No Exit. They have been touring on and off ever since. The singer has made no secret of having cosmetic surgery, saying she has previously undergone work to remove sagging skin and jowls on the lower part of her face. Talking about how she manages to keep performing on stage, she told the Daily Mail in an interview at The Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hyde Park ‘Learning to manage your stress is very important. And not letting stress take over your body which is not always easy. And diet and exercise. Success: Miss Harry wears orange trousers £250 and matching orange top £250 by Tibi at Harrods, black sheer mac £750 by Schumaker at Harrods, Dalmatian/white leopard heels £465 Bionda Castana, skull ring £275 and silver black stone ring £179 both Thomas Sabo . Outspoken: Despite approaching her 70th birthday, the star appears to have lost none of her ability to shock, praising the antics of controversial stars such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga . ‘Can I throw myself and rolling around on the floor? I don’t really do that anymore. I’ve become interested in having good vocals. Our songs are complicated and it takes a lot of effort and concentration to hit those notes now. ‘I try not to throw that away. I used to throw it away, and heave myself around and get wild. But that had something to do with youthful energy and so on. I suppose my focus changed. I guess there are times when I give way to wild behaviour. ‘I do physical and vocal warm ups before I go on stage. I didn’t do a lot of exercise for a long time but now I find I have too.’ She's got presence! The icon gave photographers a wave as she left BBC Radio 2 on Thursday, while clutching her snakeskin-print handbag . She has previously admitted that she’s . worried about losing her looks– but doesn’t regret having taken the . rock ’n’ roll lifestyle to excess. She . said: ‘As far as ageing goes, it’s rough. It’s hard. I rely on looks a . lot. Women’s calling cards, unfortunately, are based on their looks. ‘But I’m glad I’ve had all the radical experiences in my life. I have a better perspective. ‘I try my best and I really am healthy. I exercise like a fiend and do all that stuff that recovered drug addicts do.’ Blondie’s new album is called Ghosts Of Download. Style statement: Harry was wearing an all-black ensemble and dark sunglasses, while a hooded top was tied around her waist .
Debbie Harry is the first woman to win NME lifetime achievement award .
Star used the event to announce she and her band are playing Glastonbury .
Singer praises the antics of stars such as Miley Cyrus and Gaga .
'Sex sells', she says as she praises acts for their theatrical performances .
By . Simon Cable . and Emma Lowe . PUBLISHED: . 18:15 EST, 27 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:11 EST, 28 February 2014 . Rock On: Debbie Harry at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London. Debbie wears: 1965 pink vintage Jean Muir dress and jacket from a selection at williamvintage.com, silver croc courts £460 Gian Marco Lorenzi, studded cuff/bracelet £370 Bijoux de Famille at theboxboutique.com, cat ear sunglasses £425 Anna-Karin Karlsson at theboxboutique.com . She was one of the biggest sex sirens of the 1970s, whose picture adorned the bedroom wall of a generation of teenage boys. And four decades on, Debbie Harry has managed to remain as timeless as one of her chart-topping hits. The 68-year-old Blondie frontwoman appears remarkably unchanged from the days when she was better-known as the Punk Princess because of her eccentric sense of style and wild performances on stage. The star last night became the first-ever woman to win a lifetime achievement prize at the prestigious NME awards in London and used the event to reveal she and her band will be playing Glastonbury this year. And despite approaching her 70th birthday, the star appears to have lost none of her ability to shock, praising the antics of controversial stars such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga. The singer said that their often highly sexualised performances were more entertaining than artists who preferred bland stage shows. ‘If you look back, one of my statements early on, in a naïve way, was that “sex sells”, she said. ‘Men in rock bands have been doing it since the get-go and I think it is part of the entertainment world, because you have to present something theatrical. ‘There are bands that just stand there and play and look very dour, but I’ve always admired people like Bowie who create a character and dress flamboyantly. ‘They’re telling a story and I like people who have a strong sense of themselves and their comfort zone, and are not afraid to do what they do. ‘The obvious and best example is Lady Gaga, because she has gone to the extreme. She has sort of taken the Leigh Bowery route with all the fetishy things, her look is so strong and sexual. ‘It’s almost to the point of being scary, but the audience likes to be scared some times.’ 'Sex sells': Blondie singer Miss Harry in 1987 . Frontwoman: Miss Harry with Blondie arriving for the 2014 NME Awards, where she became the first woman to win the lifetime achievement award . Blondie enjoyed phenomenal success in the late 1970s – topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with hits such as Heart Of Glass and Sunday Girl – before splitting for  the first time in 1982, when Harry launched a solo career. The group re-formed in 1996 and reached No 3 in the UK charts with comeback album No Exit. They have been touring on and off ever since. The singer has made no secret of having cosmetic surgery, saying she has previously undergone work to remove sagging skin and jowls on the lower part of her face. Talking about how she manages to keep performing on stage, she told the Daily Mail in an interview at The Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hyde Park ‘Learning to manage your stress is very important. And not letting stress take over your body which is not always easy. And diet and exercise. Success: Miss Harry wears orange trousers £250 and matching orange top £250 by Tibi at Harrods, black sheer mac £750 by Schumaker at Harrods, Dalmatian/white leopard heels £465 Bionda Castana, skull ring £275 and silver black stone ring £179 both Thomas Sabo . Outspoken: Despite approaching her 70th birthday, the star appears to have lost none of her ability to shock, praising the antics of controversial stars such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga . ‘Can I throw myself and rolling around on the floor? I don’t really do that anymore. I’ve become interested in having good vocals. Our songs are complicated and it takes a lot of effort and concentration to hit those notes now. ‘I try not to throw that away. I used to throw it away, and heave myself around and get wild. But that had something to do with youthful energy and so on. I suppose my focus changed. I guess there are times when I give way to wild behaviour. ‘I do physical and vocal warm ups before I go on stage. I didn’t do a lot of exercise for a long time but now I find I have too.’ She's got presence! The icon gave photographers a wave as she left BBC Radio 2 on Thursday, while clutching her snakeskin-print handbag . She has previously admitted that she’s . worried about losing her looks– but doesn’t regret having taken the . rock ’n’ roll lifestyle to excess. She . said: ‘As far as ageing goes, it’s rough. It’s hard. I rely on looks a . lot. Women’s calling cards, unfortunately, are based on their looks. ‘But I’m glad I’ve had all the radical experiences in my life. I have a better perspective. ‘I try my best and I really am healthy. I exercise like a fiend and do all that stuff that recovered drug addicts do.’ Blondie’s new album is called Ghosts Of Download. Style statement: Harry was wearing an all-black ensemble and dark sunglasses, while a hooded top was tied around her waist .
event to reveal she and her band will be playing of controversial stars such as Miley Cyrus and woman to win the lifetime achievement award . Sunday Girl – before splitting for  the first to shock, praising the antics of controversial