Taylor Swift says she had no friends when she was younger

She might be one of the most popular celebrities in the business now, but Taylor Swift says it hasn't always been the case.

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The 25-year old is famous for her female 'squad' of pals (which includes Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne) and thinks they are so important to her now because she didn't have many chums as a teenager.

"I honestly think my lack of female friendships in high school and middle school is why my female friendships are so important now," Swift told GQ.

"Because I always wanted them. It was just hard for me to have friends."

The singer recalled calling to invite several girls from her middle school to go shopping with her but they all made an excuse - and when Taylor went to the mall with her mother, she saw the whole group there without her.

"I just remember my mom looking at me and saying, 'We're going to King of Prussia Mall'. Which is the big, big mall in Pennsylvania, 45 minutes away. So we left and went to the better mall. My mom let me escape from certain things that were too painful to deal with. And we talked about it the whole ride there, and we had a good time shopping."

Despite cherishing her strong friendships, Taylor - who is dating Calvin Harris - also values having time alone.

Asked if she ever gets lonely, she said: "I'm around people so much. Massive amounts of people. I do a meet-and-greet every night on the tour, and it's 150 people. Before that, it's a radio meet-and-greet with 40 people. After the show, it's 30 or 40 more people.

"So then when I go home and turn on the TV, and I've got Monica and Chandler and Ross and Rachel and Phoebe and Joey on a 'Friends' marathon, I don't feel lonely.

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"I've just been onstage for two hours, talking to 60,000 people about my feelings. That's so much social stimulation.

"When I get home, there is not one part of me that wishes I was around other people."