The first song I fell in love with
When I was five or six, my mum wouldn’t let me listen to anything other than Christian gospel. Her friend Jane felt sorry for me and brought me a cassette with Whitney Houston on one side and Cher on the other. My ears couldn’t believe what they were hearing. I Will Always Love You made me think: This is what I’m going to do.

The first single I bought
So Young by the Corrs, from Sainsbury’s in Walton Village in Liverpool. I couldn’t really afford music as a kid, so buying a record was a big deal. I’d heard the Corrs on the radio, liked their voices and thought: I’m buying this.

The song that is my karaoke go-to
I have a habit of singing Wonderwall by Oasis really badly. It’s like a party trick: I drunkenly sing it completely off-key and awful, but impassioned. I have no idea why.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
I was obsessed with the film Beaches as a kid. Me and my best friend would watch it over and over and I’d pretend I was CC Bloom. The Glory of Love by Bette Midler, Wind Beneath My Wings – I know the lyrics to all of them. I’m getting nostalgic just thinking about it.

The best song to play at a party
I like to do a bit of DJing after a few drinks, and Mundian to Bach Ke by Panjabi MC always goes down well, but you’ve got to drop it late in the party. If you play it too early, people aren’t ready.

The song I can no longer listen to
When I was a teenager, I was feeling particularly low, and I feel like that Everybody Hurts by REM saved me that day. It was this gentle reminder: this is life, everybody hurts, get up and get on with it.

The song I secretly like, but tell everyone I hate
I wouldn’t put Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 on at one of my parties, but I might play it while I’m doing the dishes.

The best song to have sex to
I imagine Drunk in Love by Beyoncé would probably work!

The song that changed my life
A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, which I sang at my first X Factor audition. I’d prepared three songs and Simon Cowell stopped me from singing the first two. A Change Is Gonna Come made more sense for me emotionally anyway. I thought about myself and members of my family I’d seen struggling and almost went into myself while I sang it.

The song that gets me up in the morning
Blasting a bit of Beautiful Day by U2 always helps when you’re feeling a bit crappy or tired after a late night with the kids.

The song that makes me cry
Hope There’s Someone by Antony and the Johnsons. It’s just so sad. The way it’s delivered, you can really hear the pain. It gets me every time.

The song I want played at my funeral
I’d want something fun that reminded friends and family of good times. I’ve been listening to Movin’ to the Sun by Hugel, Imael Angel and Ultra Naté lately. I’d have that, except – God, it’s morbid thinking about your funeral, isn’t it?

Rebecca Ferguson tours The Hits at Christmas, 2 to 12 December.