La Roux singer Elly Jackson has admitted that she used to stare at pictures of Michael Jackson for hours at a time.

The band's frontwoman reveals she was fascinated by the look of the late singer, and became the "source of so much intrigue" for her when she was a child. She told the Guardian, "The first record I remember hearing by Michael Jackson was when I was 7 years old - there was a cassette of Dangerous on top of the videos in the living room. I remember not liking the music but liking the cover. I would look at pictures of him for three hours. When you're that age, Michael Jackson blows your mind. He was the source of so much intrigue when I was a kid. He had everything a pop star needs - the lifestyle and the massive mental health issues." Although first exposed to Dangerous, Jackson revealed that she was more influenced by the popstar's1979 album Off The Wall.

She said, "HIStory was the first Michael Jackson record I bought, when I was 8, but Off the Wall can't be beaten. I'm getting into funk at the moment and it's an amazing funk record. Plus, his vocals are softer."