Christmas is All Wrapped Up for Stourbridge singer Susy Wall

The acoustic singer-songwriter’s festive tune was played twice by DJ Sara Cox during her drivetime show last December.

Now it has inspired the creation of Susy’s new EP, which also features two new original tracks and an adaption/arrangement of a traditional song.

The former teacher, who has been singing since she was very young, has been performing as a solo artist for around a year and a half.

“I was performing in a band before as a hobby but I wanted it to be more than a hobby.

“I wanted to give it a shot because I knew I was writing songs that potentially people would want to listen to and I wanted to share those songs with other people,” explains Susy, who lives in Stourbridge.

The mother of two released her debut EP, Home Is The Colour, in September. It included the track, Say You’re Home, which is particularly close to her heart.

“I went to a songwriting retreat in Scotland last May. I had just lost my dad. I really wanted to write a song that would emotionally connect with people so I wrote a song for my dad.

“It’s a song about loving somebody and them always being a part of your life even when they’re not there. It’s not a sad song but when I have played it live, people have cried.”

Following the positive response All Wrapped Up received last December, Susy wanted to release a Christmas EP, which included the popular track. She listened to her radio debut while travelling home from a hospital appointment with her mum.

Her track was selected by the BBC Radio 2 presenter after she asked listeners to finish the sentence, “before Christmas I will...”.

“I responded ‘by Christmas I will have had my lovely chilled Christmas single played by a Radio 2 DJ’, “ explains Susy, who performed at this year’s Shrewsbury Folk Festival and also Moseley Folk Festival.

“Sara then tweeted ‘maybe listen to teatime today Susy 4-7’. When I was in the car with my mum, she played the song. It was the most bizarre thing listening to myself on the radio.

“Everyone was really lovely about it. A lot of people added to their Christmas playlists on Spotify. “Someone choosing to put one of my songs on their playlist to play during their Christmas is the biggest compliment I could be paid. The thought of being part of people’s Christmases was really magical,” says Susy.

Her new winter-themed EP, also titled, All Wrapped Up, features the track along with new songs See Through and Will It Snow.

See Through is inspired by snowflakes and how their journey shapes their individuality while Will It Snow is all about our fascination with snow.

Susy, who often performs at Katie Fitzgerald’s in Stourbridge, has also adapted the traditional carol There’s A Song In The Air and added a new second verse to compliment the original song.

“The tune is so beautiful to sing and it was nice to sing somebody else’s song,” she says.

Holding the EP in her hands for the first time was a special moment for Susy because she recorded, mixed and mastered the EP – except for the first track which was recorded at the Song Lab in Birmingham by Jonny Amos.

This was mixed and mastered by Susy along with the other tracks. “I wanted to push myself and learn some production skills. I’m really proud of this EP because I’ve taught myself a new skill,” says Susy, who originally hails from Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.

When she’s writing and recording new music, Susy loves performing her songs live.

“It’s my most natural place to be. It’s taken me a while to realise it but I love connecting with people listening to my songs. It’s the best feeling and I feel very lucky.”

All Wrapped Up is available from susywall.bandcamp.com and can be found on all streaming platforms. For more information about Susy’s music, visit susywallmusic.co.uk