Cara Delevingne's album helped her to remain 'sane and sober'

Cara Delevingne's "whole life" has been building up to the release of her debut album.

The 34-year-old star has previously enjoyed success as a model and an actress - but she's now firmly focused on her music career and Cara admits that she's been working on Not Normal for years.

Speaking to ELLE, Cara shared: "I’ve been working on it for three years. It’s something I’ve put so much time into and I actually feel like I’ve been working on it for my whole life because it’s all been leading up to this.

"I believed in myself and tried making friends with myself. I know that sounds weird. I was just really horrible to myself, and when you get out of your own way it’s pretty crazy what you can achieve.

"A lot of that is represented in the production. I’m really proud to say I co-produced it with some incredible people and have enjoyed the process so much."

Cara - who has previously struggled with substance abuse - admits that the record has helped her to remain "sane and sober" in recent years.

She said: "I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process, and it’s also been something that’s kept me sane and sober."

Cara revealed that most of the album was written on planes, and the first track dates back to her teens.

She explained: "The first and last song are like bookends. They are, which I didn’t mean to do, poems. I wrote the first one when I was probably 18 and the second when I was 25 as a stream of consciousness. Both of them were written on planes because that’s when I do most of my writing."

Cara wrote the track Need It with Fiona Apple, and she's likened the singer-songwriter to a "fairy godmother".

The London-born star said: "Fiona, I’m lucky enough to have known for years and years and we’ve been pen pals through text message for such a long time.

"I’ve obviously met her and worked with her, but she’s been this fairy godmother. I’ll just send her the most unflattering videos of me just sobbing — she’s just an angel."