‘If I can’t have coffee, I’ll put Philip Glass on’: Katie Melua’s honest playlist

The first song I remember hearing
My early childhood was in Soviet Georgia. When the communist regime broke down, western TV started to dribble in. I remember the video to I’m Still Standing by Elton John, with all the women’s legs going up and down, thinking: “My God. What is this?”

The first single I bought
Spaceman by Babylon Zoo, when I was 10 or 11, when I was living in Belfast. That song was humongous.

The song I do at karaoke
Many karaoke songs are in male keys – as are Christmas carols – because they are sung by males. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is one of the only male songs I can sing because Freddie was a vocal genius.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
I thought I knew all the lyrics to Stan by Eminem, but yesterday, I put it on, and they’ve gone away. I definitely knew all the lyrics to the Marshall Mathers LP when I was 15, but I haven’t retained them.

The best song to play at a party
Águas de Março by Antônio Carlos Jobim, from one my favourite albums of all time called Elis & Tom, a duet album between Elis Regina, one of the most iconic singers from Brazil, and Jobim, who wrote Girl from Ipanema. When you put it on, the mood instantly changes. It might not get people dancing immediately, but it will get them doing a bit of a Brazilian.

The song I stream the most
I stream Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) by the Temptations all the time. It’s an exquisite work of art, a beautiful lesson in restraint and warmth. The strings are majestic, and the story is beautiful: dreaming of a girl he wants to be with.

The song I secretly like but tell everyone I hate
I hate that I love My Heart Will Go On by Céline Dion. It was playing in a shop recently and I was thinking: “This really is really good.”

The song I can no longer listen to
Nine Million Bicycles, because I’ve sung it and played it on every TV and radio show all around the world.

The song I wish I had written
Killing Me Softly With His Song by Fugees is such a beautiful song, it’s extraordinary. I love that it’s about someone going to see a performer play and being enchanted.

The song that changed my life
The Closest Thing to Crazy totally changed my life. I recorded it when I was 19. We put it out, and the world turned upside down. I got to travel the world and become a musical artist.

The song that gets me up in the morning
Mishima/Closing by Philip Glass. Glass is this incredible composer and Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is this incredible Japanese film by Paul Schrader. If I can’t have coffee, I’ll put this on and it puts me in a “get shit done” mood.

The song I’d like played at my funeral
Moon River by Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s a perfect work of art.

Katie’s new album Love & Money is out now.