ALLEN THANKS OFFICIALS IN VISA ROW

The Smile singer was forced to cancel all her U.S. tour dates in August 2007 after she was stopped from entering the country over a scuffle with a photographer that March - which resulted in her arrest on allegations of assault.

Allen admits she was devastated at the time, but the incident gave her a welcome break from her hectic tour schedule.

She tells Britain's NME magazine, "I was really sad when I got my visa taken off me, but I was really exhausted and it felt like a blessing in disguise. I did really need to be home. I'd been on the road for a year and I just wanted to be with my friends and family."

And Allen is convinced the experience gave her a much-needed boost to pull her life together and revamp her onstage persona.

She adds, "I've completely changed the way I play live. I'm really enjoying it, giving people a show. Before I was just getting drunk, wandering around onstage and moaning, which isn't much fun if you've paid for a ticket. So thank the nice people at immigration for putting me on a path to a rethink."