The first song I truly adored When I was about five or six, my mum only allowed Christian gospel music in the house. Then her friend Jane took pity on me and gave me a cassette: Whitney Houston on one side, Cher on the other. I was completely stunned by what I heard. I Will Always Love You made me realise: this is what I want to do.

The first single I bought It was So Young by the Corrs, bought from Sainsbury’s in Walton Village, Liverpool. Music was something I could rarely afford as a child, so purchasing a single felt hugely important. I had heard the Corrs on the radio, loved the sound of their voices and decided I had to have it.

The song I always choose for karaoke I seem to end up singing Wonderwall by Oasis terribly. It has become a kind of party routine: after a few drinks, I sing it wildly out of tune and with absolutely no skill, but with plenty of emotion. I honestly don’t know why I do it.

The song whose lyrics I somehow know by heart I was completely obsessed with the film Beaches when I was young. My best friend and I watched it endlessly, and I would imagine I was CC Bloom. The Glory of Love by Bette Midler, Wind Beneath My Wings – I know every word to them all. Just thinking about it makes me nostalgic.

The best song for a party I enjoy taking over the music after a couple of drinks, and Mundian to Bach Ke by Panjabi MC never fails to get people going. But it has to come late in the night. Play it too soon and the room is not ready for it.

The song I cannot listen to any more As a teenager, I went through a particularly difficult period, and Everybody Hurts by REM felt like it rescued me that day. It offered a quiet message that pain is part of life, that everyone struggles, and that you have to keep moving forward.

The song I secretly enjoy but pretend to dislike I would never choose Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 for one of my parties, but I might quietly put it on while washing up in the kitchen.

The best song to have sex to I imagine Drunk in Love by Beyoncé would be a pretty good choice.

The song that changed my life A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke was the song I sang at my first X Factor audition. I had prepared three songs, but Simon Cowell stopped me during the first two. Emotionally, A Change Is Gonna Come was the one that truly fit me anyway. While singing, I thought about myself and relatives I had watched go through hard times, and I almost disappeared into the performance.

The song that gets me going in the morning Putting on Beautiful Day by U2 at full volume can really help when you feel exhausted, low or worn out after a late night with the children.

The song that makes me cry Hope There’s Someone by Antony and the Johnsons. It is unbearably sad. You can hear the hurt in the delivery, and it affects me every single time.

The song I would like played at my funeral I would want something upbeat, something that made my loved ones remember happy moments. Recently, I have been listening to Movin’ to the Sun by Hugel, Imael Angel and Ultra Naté, so perhaps that would be the one. Although, really, thinking about your own funeral is quite grim, isn’t it?

Rebecca Ferguson will tour The Hits at Christmas from 2 to 12 December.