First record I bought
It was Power of a Woman by Eternal. I was obsessed with them — to see black women in the charts, the way they sang, the gospel influences. It was the first time I could relate, where the pop music I was seeing on television was similar to what my dad was playing me. I think I bought it in Asda. We’d go there every Sunday on the bus. And I saw them when they played in Aberdeen. I thought they were absolutely incredible, I was so in love with them I wanted to join the group.
First concert
M People. My dad took me to see them in Aberdeen. Heather Small’s voice seemed so stunning. It was the first time I’d seen a live band. I must have been about eight. It was mind-blowing. I’d only heard tapes before. Just the energy of it; the realisation that this was the next level in terms of experiencing music. We used to go to Butlin’s, so I’d see the pop entertainment there, but this was something else.
First book I read out of choice
It was George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. You grow up having to finish certain books over the summer holidays for school. Nineteen Eighty-Four was something I picked off the shelf at home. It was the first time I was properly hit by the power of words, a world within a world.
First painting that bowled me over
I had a great art teacher, and we’d go through different genres and movements. I remember she once passed round these art cards and I saw Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dalí for the first time. Having learnt about more realistic forms of drawing, surrealism was eye-opening.
First film I cried at
I’ve got to be honest: Titanic. I think I saw it on my 11th birthday. We were all completely obsessed with it. But of course the film was a 12 certificate, so we were all practising our dates of birth outside the cinema. My dad took us and he still talks about it: a party of six 11-year-olds crying their eyes out.
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First time I sensed that I might be successful
Probably when I won the Brits critics’ choice award. I’d seen the previous winners — Adele, Florence and the Machine — and it was a big dream of mine, but also something I never felt would actually happen. So when I won, before I’d even released my first album, it felt like there might be this momentum building. It was a big turning point.
First time I went back home after having success
Going back to my village is always very grounding. It feels like we’re all sharing the success in a way. One time I got asked to turn on the Christmas lights at the local fountain. It always feels like a homecoming. I mean, I’m bumping into people I used to sit next to in recorder class or work with at the Co-op. It reminds me who I am.
Emeli Sandé’s new album, How Were We to Know, is released on Nov 17
What are your formative cultural experiences? Let us know in the comments below
