Pop: Riffs - The First and Latest Records Bought by Tatyana Ali

First record

Janet Jackson: "Control"

When I was young, my musical taste was influenced by my older cousins. From the band posters covering their walls and MTV, I found out what was or wasn't cool. I love Janet Jackson. The special thing about "Control" is its interludes, when Janet chills out and talks with her girlfriends.

Me and my little friends would get together and mimic all the different people on the record. We knew all the lyrics and videos by heart. It was in the days of vinyl, so we just put the needle on the spot and then played the same bit over and over again until we knew it perfectly.

Last record

The Outcast: "Outcast"

These guys are a hip-hop group, and are well-known in the States. I met some of The Outcast guys when I was doing a promotional tour in America, and they were so cool and nice to me that I went straight out and bought their album. The hip-hop is slightly underground, and a little more hard- core than A Tribe Called Quest, but with their laid-back vibe. The lyrics are about their own life experiences, rather like Lauryn Hill's album. It's the kind of music I always like because you get a sense of who the performers are: it makes you want to rush to the sleeve and see all the pictures and thank-you messages.

Tatyana Ali's debut album, `Kiss the Sky', is out now