Changing tracks: Gabriella Cilmi

Singer Gabriella Cilmi shares her top five musical moments

OH CAROLINA
Shaggy

This is the first song I remember listening to. I went to see Shaggy when I was about seven years old at a music festival in Australia called Rumba, which was awesome. He was amazing live, he blew me away. It was so much fun and I remember thinking he was the best thing ever.

FATHER AND SON
Cat Stevens

My mum got a videotape of musicians performing live, and Cat Stevens came on with an acoustic guitar. I always remember that moment sitting on the couch in front of the TV. I think I was about 10 years old at the time, and when I saw it I realised that music was something I really wanted to do. It makes me think about why I'm doing this, because of how much that song spoke to me. There's so much that comes with being in the music industry, the crazy hours and stuff like that, but when I hear this song I remember why I'm here.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Muse

I heard this on CD first and it blew me away. But when I saw them perform live it was amazing. It was at the Big Day Out in Australia. I was with a few friends and my cousin, and we just went crazy. It's the best gig I've ever been to. The song has got so much atmosphere in it. It's like you're in an action movie or something, or you rule the world.

ME AND BOBBY McGEE
Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin was my idol growing up, and this was the first song of hers that I heard. I learnt to play it on the autoharp. I play this at my live gigs as well – not on my autoharp. I love songs like this that tell a story, and you're left wondering what it's about.

PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT
Meat Loaf

My cousin and me used to dance to this. Her dad got a projector and we would put on Meat Loaf Live In Concert, and I remember us going ballistic. We used to come home from ballet, put on Meat Loaf and go crazy. I was probably about six, so pretty little, but sometimes we still put this on and dance like idiots.

• Gabriella Cilmi plays the Futures stage at T in the Park on Saturday

• www.myspace.com/gabriellacilmi