Choosing only 10 is very difficult and I've had to cull a number of times but here goes: 

1. Michael Jackson 

I first became aware of Michael when I was around five or so. I was instantly enamoured. Here was a child singing with such passion and jounce. His voice was high and sweet like mine. His clothes were a riot of colour, he was a true creative genius. Even when the Jacksons sang in harmony, his sweet trill rose above them all and pierced my heart. I idolised him instantly and I followed his career, bought his albums when I could and grieved when he died. He was Peter Pan, indeed; a misunderstood child, a creative being much sinned against, I believe. I wish I could have met him.  

2. Queen  

I will never forget the first time I heard 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. I was hanging out with Adrienne and Cal, the hippy-kaftan-wearing couple with twenty odd cats, a goat, six chickens, purple and green thickly-painted, mismatched furniture and a whole lot of love for all things feral and needy - they lived for a short time in part of the abandoned dairy's outbuildings, behind us. The radio played non-stop as I would help them weed their herb garden, milk their goat, make cheese, tie-dye or whatever was going that day. Adrienne always talked me through whatever we were doing, instructing me in terms, uses, techniques, she was brilliant. Anyway, Bohemian Rhapsody came on and I was thunder-struck. We had been picking caterpillars off her elderberry in order to re-locate them (the fuzzy ones). I froze - that frozen alertness that comes over animals, all ears and eyes and Adrienne stopped speaking. When the song was over, she told me the name of the band - Queen. I added them to my mind and bucket-list and they are still on it. The second concert I ever attended was Queen at the Sydney Entertainment Centre (with Freddy) - staggeringly good, literally, we stood up the whole event and jumped up and down on the spot, me in appallingly high heels. We were knackered by concert's end - thanks, Ed, blows kiss.

3. Abba 

It is currently unfashionable to say that you like or have liked ABBA and although, to be honest, I rarely listen to their work now and find some of it no longer to my taste, there was a time when their songs meant a great deal to me, particularly from the ages of 13 -15. Suddenly, it was acceptable to be 'foreign' in Australia. As a girl who was constantly taunted due to her ethnic origins (Slovenian), it was wonderful to witness the absolute rapture which 'true blue' Aussie girls lavished on these Swedish idols. My sister, Suzie, immediately started a rumour that we were actually Swedish, hahahahaha - no flies on her - and pinched (borrowed) a ring of Mum's and began to wear it on the little finger of her left hand and to claim that this was the style rings were worn in Sweden - hahahahaha - actually it was because the ring was tiny and wouldn't fit on any other finger. The rumour was supported by the fact that, oooh, ahhh, Joy could actually sing tee hee and of course, we were tall, tanned easily (Mediterranean skin) and had fine, blonde, straight hair. I still love 'Dancing Queen' and was actually called this, at that time by a couple of boys. The girls called me something entirely different ;)) 

4. Gilbert and Sullivan 

Gilbert and Sullivan??? Yep, you know, 'The Mikado', 'The Gondoliers', 'The Pirates of Penzance' etc... Suffice it to say, I got lead roles, the ones with the high-note-holding solos - no-one else could hit a top A or sustain it like me - shrugs - and I was funny, I loved larking about on stage and created my own sight gags and ad-libbed outrageously. If someone messed up, I hopped in and 'rescued' them. Did that for Rosie once, she loved me for it :) I honestly believe that those musicals saved my life. At that stage and age, I had very little else to live for, except music. I became the characters and it was a relief to drop into someone else's life for a little. 

5. David Bowie 

'Fame' was the first album I ever bought. Actually, now that I think of it, I think my sister bought it for me as where would the money have come from at 14? 'Ashes to Ashes' blew me away. I loved the intellectual quality of the lyrics. Finally, something to actually analyse, to speculate as to the meaning, to argue with fellow devotees - not that there were too many at Marist Sisters College, Woolwich hahaha, except Rosie and Jane ;))  The accompanying video was also intriguing  and the song  was musically interesting as well. He was so different, ground breaking and I love difference.  I adored Bowie's ambivalent androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust and his elfin-alien appearance in real life - are you seeing a pattern here? Hahaha.

6. INXS 

Hot, hot, hot Michael Hutchence, phew! and the lyrics - suicide, inter-racial relationships, lust and oh, so Australian but and this is the point, intelligent and with a bloody good beat, a sense of wry humour, a raw, real, masculinity and featured instruments beyond the standard. I started to hear about them when I went to Sydney Uni. Course I couldn't afford to go and see them but their songs were featured on Countdown, a homespun Top Forty Hits-style show that screened on Saturdays. Countdown was the most popular music program in Australian TV history and was compulsory viewing for Australian teens, if you couldn't talk Countdown on Monday at school, well, what was wrong with you, anyway - doncha have a telly or somethin? I'm amazed my parents allowed us to watch it, possibly because my eldest sister adored it and she and my father ruled the viewing. I still listen to them and their appeal has not faded. 

http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article887734.ece/alternates/s615b/::SUNDAY%20MIRROR%20ONLY::%20%20Michael%20Hutchence

7. George Michael  

Oh, yeah, shake it George. I no longer had a great deal by that stage (faith) but I thought him outrageous and loved his style (Choose Life t-shirts, funky camp). He was different, I knew that, but being a particularly naive Catholic school girl, I didn't twig regarding his sexual preference, at first, anyway. Not that it would have bothered me, in any case, I have always been drawn to the marginalized (hope I don't offend anyone by saying that) and the gifted-talented and the colourful. I love colour and a stick it up the establishment attitude:))  I should probably add at this point that I am not gay (as far as I know, hahaha) ;)))

8. Annie Lennox 

If you have never listened to Why? - do so this minute. No More I Love Yous - sounded like it had been written for me. Not just a great musician and singer but a champion of humanitarian causes. She embodies the good that can be wrought by those who have the eye of the public upon them and she does it without the kind of self-seeking, self-conscious, self-promotion I see too often amongst other celebrities (here endeth the lecture ;)). I loved her from the first moment I saw her on television dressed ambivalently as part of the Eurhythmics with her sharp, short hairstyle and androgymnous suits.  Annie should have played Orlando in the 1992 film version of Virginia Woolf's novel though Tilda Swinton did a wondeful job.

9. Led Zeppelin 

If I did not mention Led Zep in this list, I think it would generate instant divorce proceedings, hahaha. Ah dear, Ed introduced me to Led Zep as he did to a great many heavy metal, head banging greats- we went to see Iron Maiden, I think it was the first band I ever saw - what a date, that was, hahaha - but he wouldn't let me join in the mosh pit - damn!!!! Page and his double-neck Gibson - unreal; Bonham's aggressive drumming - whoah; Plant's sexually-charged singing and hip-swinging - ahhh; John Paul Jones' keyboard and bass - haunting; the drug-soaked pseudo-mythological lyrics and cool clothes - what was not to like?  

10. Cold play 

I'm jumping to the present now, most of what I have written above is about my youth, up to my twenties but I want to add a band I have reasonably recently begun listening to and appreciating. There are many reasons why I love Cold Play but I have already written far too much and you are all probably bored stupid, so, let it suffice if I say, I love them because their lyrics are often quirky and unexpected and deal with topical issues. They are also fine musicians which is important to me and they have been consistent and active supporters of various social and political causes and have performed for charities. I respect them.