Gwen Stefani: 'Touring almost killed me'

Gwen Stefani chose to halt her solo tours because the last one she embarked on "almost killed" her.

The 47-year-old singer - who has sons Kingston, 10, Zuma, eight, and two-year-old Apollo with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale - recently returned to touring as a solo artist after a break of seven years.

In an interview with magazine Psychologies, the Hollaback Girl singer admitted that while she loves performing around the world, a full concert trek can be both physically and mentally demanding.

"Every time I go out on stage, I have to do my best. You can't just walk through it. You have to be in it, and it's exhausting," she shared with Psychologies. "I think it's one of the reasons I haven't toured solo in seven years, because the last one I did almost killed me, after having those two babies then going on tour and nursing an infant. Doing those No Doubt shows (in 2015) were super physical."

However, after her painful marriage breakup, and finding love with country singer Blake Shelton, Gwen has found solace in performing live as she promotes her new album This Is What The Truth Feels Like, which came together quickly in the midst of her relationship problems.

"Touring is really draining, but it's also satisfying and healing and it's going to be something that will make me feel super empowered," she admitted.

Another unexpected benefit of her personal turmoil in recent years is that song lyrics and ideas will simply pour out of her.

"It came together a lot more quickly than I expected," said as she spoke about how quickly her latest album was written and recorded. "It took me eight weeks and sometimes it's taken me three years to finish an album. I wrote Used to Love You and two weeks later, it was on the air. It was like this was all happening in real time."