"This would be from when I did 'Sisters Of Mercy' for the film Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. I was so happy to be given that song. I love Leonard Cohen; I've always loved him, grew up around that music. He is the most extraordinary lyricist, but he, as well, creates such a mood with his music. It's like nothing else. He belongs in my life as a writer and as a singer. I suppose this record, again, it's actually quite similar to Joni Mitchell; not brilliantly imaginative on my part to begin with, but just every single song is a classic. I've read bits and pieces of his poetry and he's an extraordinary poet. It's poignant, and there's humour, coupled with the pathos. He's a poet, he's an extraordinary writer and singer and beautiful man, and, what can I say? Is that enough?"

"I wasn’t even sure that I liked music in my early years. There was a massive generation gap between myself and my parents, and they didn’t get it at all. They had no concept of pop culture, so the music I heard when I was a child was all light entertainment. There was a round tin in the house with a picture of tulips on it that had some singles inside and they were all awful, like “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini.” It was all comedy. Just terrible. I wasn’t interested in it. But two things woke me up. One was “Telstar” by the Tornados. I heard it in a shop, and this person on the radio said, “This is the sound of the future.” That got my interest. I remember the squeaky organ sound, and it was all jolly exciting. Then the Beatles happened."

"I watched it for the first time when I was probably 8 or 9, and it was the first movie that I remember consciously crying and having an emotional response to. I just remember my older brother, who really took care of us because my mom worked a lot, was so worried about me, he was like, What’s going on? Are you okay? I remember him ushering me into my room to calm down. It was interesting because I was so grateful he was nurturing me, but I wasn’t ready to stop watching the film. It’s a staple. I watch that movie at least once a month. It’s nostalgic. Now I think the acting is not that great, so I don’t think it could make me cry the way it did as a kid, but it’s so nostalgic and reminds me of my childhood."

"I love Alicia Keys - the voice, and the fact that she plays an instrument. The image of a woman being in control of her instrument - it's not often something we see in pop music. We need to play instruments. It's important for our daughters in the future. If you know how to compose, you're free. You can be more than just a singer. You can compose for movies, theatre. You've got more opportunities, more freedom. I do a lot of things as well as music. People call me for other things, different projects. You're part of things that men can do. Because most of the time, projects get given to whoever can play an instrument. People will call you if they like your work. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. The fact that you play an instrument gives you more credibility to work on other things."

"Sorry to pick this. Just saying the title's enough, really, isn't it? I know it's really obvious, but it's such a masterpiece. 

It's been strangely hard picking my albums for this, as lots of things don't resonate with me now like they used to when I was younger. I've been listening a lot more to classical and choral music in the last year, for example, but this fits in with that, because this is sacred music. It's music that transcends genre. Every track is profoundly beautiful – and I say that having liked Talk Talk before this, too. I remember the first album coming out at the same time as Duran Duran's Rio, and people comparing them, then hearing The Colour Of Spring. 'Life's What You Make It' was a big song when I was at sixth form. But this album… this is a bigger thing. I still love it so much.
"

"One of my favourite albums. I love Gary Brooker, and I loved Robin Trower when he was playing cool stuff. I never followed him after he started trying to turn into Hendrix. I didn't get it. What's he doing this for? Hendrix has already done this. Procul Harum made great music that was related to the classics, but with crazy lyrics. I still don't know what half the lyrics are about: 'Repent Walpurgis' [from their debut album], I still don't know what that means. But it was intriguing to me. A Salty Dog is beautiful, and this reminds me of an era when keyboards didn't interfere with the guitar, just like Soft Machine. It's the kind of music that takes up where 'I Am The Walrus' takes off. And these were all great singers. The only ratty singer I liked was Roger Chapman out of Family."