‘It hurts listening to Whitney Houston – I knew her so well’: Mica Paris’s honest playlist

Mica Paris … ‘My grandparents thought it was a bit too secular, even though it was gospel.’ Photograph: Jack Alexander

The first song I fell in love with
God Will Open Doors by Walter Hawkins. I grew up on the Hawkins gospel family. They were my teachers. I was raised by my grandparents, and my auntie fell in love with the gospel sound and imported records from America – although my grandparents thought it was a bit too secular, even though it was gospel.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to For some reason, out of all his songs, Adore by Prince always speaks to me.