The first song I fell in love with
My dad had a quite a small record collection, but it was pretty good, he had all the classics: Bob Marley, Bill Withers, Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner. But I vividly remember loving America by Simon and Garfunkel – there’s a sense of hope to it, like a feeling of wanting to escape. We spent a lot of time in the car, going on drives that didn’t really go anywhere, like that was our entertainment – we’d sing along in the car, me, my mum and dad.
The first single I bought
I remember my mum bought me a tape called Hardcore Ecstasy, which is a great compilation – I was genuinely seven. I just loved it. I think rave is so appealing to a seven-year-old, you know, it’s so noisy and vibrant. But the first song I remember buying is It’s Oh So Quiet by Björk, in Oldham’s HMV. It was weird and stuck out to me – I was nine. I think if I’m honest, I bought it based on the font and the silver metallic hyper-futuristic look – I didn’t know who she was, but I liked her DIY fringe.
