Damon Albarn found heroin ''very agreeable''.

The Blur frontman, who began taking the drug in the 1990s after he came home to find then-girlfriend Justine Frischmann using the illegal substance, and admits it helped him think outside of the box when it came to writing songs, so doesn't ''totally'' think taking it was a mistake.

He said: ''It was part of me growing up. Look, I didn't go out and look for it. I turned up at my house and there is was, made on the table. What should I have done? Leave my life and reject it, or stay in my own house and somehow assimilate it into my life? Once I tried it, I found it initially very agreeable, and very creative.''

The 46-year-old singer - who has 14-year-old daughter Missy with girlfriend Suzi Winstanley - doesn't regret defending his use of heroin but admits his comments could be taken out of context.

Asked if it was a touchy subject, he told Time Out magazine: ''I'm not touchy. I'm just aware there's an ambiguity and that my explanation can get lost in the sensational amplification of things.

''So I'm left with two options, either become really guarded and aloof, and return to this reputation I've had over the years of being a difficult b*****d, or I just don't talk at all. It's really frustrating.''