Mary's fans will know all about how she shot to fame in 1968. Twiggy, Paul McCartney, Apple, Those Were the Days, etc. So we're not going to go into that.

What we will tell you is what she's been up to recently. The newspapers said that she lives in a chateau in the South of France, where she can only be reached by carrier pigeon. We'll let that one stick.

In moving to the chateau, Mary unearthed some recordings that were made between 1970 and the present day, and she has been persuaded to release them album by album on condition that she doesn't have to do anything. ‘Live at the Royal Festival Hall 1972’ is the first of these.

Mary has her own label, her own songs and her own terms, and ‘Snowed Under’ is the first of her own songs to be released on Mary Hopkin Music. And she drew the cover too.

Watch this space for more!