Tulisa compares album to an iPod

Tulisa Contostavlos says her first album is like an iPod.

The 24-year-old singer is relieved she can finally show her true musical colours and describes her debut self-titled solo album as a soundtrack to her life because it is so diverse.

Tulisa told MTV.co.uk: "This is who I want to be, this is how I want to be portrayed, I just wanted to be myself.

"I like all kinds of different music, so I just said all the songs on the album are going to be songs I personally like and would listen to and that is how I was thinking when I went into it.

"That's probably why it's so diverse, it's like a Tulisa iPod!"

The feisty singer - whose nickname is 'The Female Boss' - disclosed that the album will feature five slow-tempo songs to show off her softer side since she never got the opportunity to record a ballad when she was part of hip-hop trio N-Dubz.

Tulisa insisted: "The Female Boss is not going soft by bringing out a ballad, just because someone is 'a female boss' doesn't mean they don't have a heart.

"The Female Boss does not just represent being hard, it's about female empowerment and a feminine trait is to have emotions and to be able to express those emotions.

"I've always wanted to release a ballad, I never really got to do it with N-Dubz. The closest I got to that was 'Best Behaviour' and we were accommodating for each other as a three. Now I get to do it."

'Tulisa' is released in November.