After 30 years in the music industry, Scottish singer Annie Lennox’s career continues to climb as she prepares for the Oct. 21 release of her new album, Nostalgia, her first collection of classic covers.

Previously serving as half of the band Eurythmics, Annie now exclusively reveals in the new issue of Closer Weekly, “I am not considering myself as a songwriter anymore.

“Singing these songs now, with a wealth of life experience is like I’ve always known them,” Annie tells Closer of the album's tracks.

Related: Stars Reveal Their All-Time Favorite Beatles Songs!

“When I look back on my life, there was a lot of unresolved pain and sadness around me. The music-writing and performance was a way for me to express what I was feeling, to make sense of it in some kind of other form. And I no longer feel that way,” she adds.

Although her songwriting classics came from dark moments, those feelings, she shares, are still around her.

“I still have an aspect of deep sadness in me, but it is no longer what defines me,” Annie tells Closer, adding that she's happiest when making music in the studio. “That’s when I’m soaring. That’s what I love doing.”

For more from Annie, including her reflections on motherhood and turning 60, pick up the new issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!