A classically trained pianist turned acoustic guitar player who does not even own an iPod is heading for stardom after her homemade album topped the national iTunes chart.

Kate Walsh, 23, described as a British Joni Mitchell, recorded an album of songs inspired by her birthplace, the sailing town of Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.

Lacking a major record deal, the folk singer recorded an album in her producer’s bedroom and made it available in digital form only. However, she soon won devotees after placing songs on her MySpace web page.

Walsh persuaded iTunes to sell the album, called Tim’s House, and last week it topped the online store’s UK download album chart, displacing Take That and Kaiser Chiefs.

Not that Walsh is a regular iTunes customer. “I don’t actually have an iPod yet,” said the singer, who was invited to perform at Apple’s main London store in celebration of her feat.

This week, the piracy-plagued EMI announced the sale of iTunes downloads without digital “locks”. Yet Walsh’s success demonstrates that talented artists need no longer rely on the music industry’s corporate giants. “I set up my own record label called Blueberry Pie and just got my music out there,” she told The Times. “It’s pretty easy. Anyone can do it. The web response is amazing. Someone I’ve never met called me ‘the new Jane Austen’.”

The hushed, homemade quality of Tim’s House reflects its birth. It was recorded at the Brighton home of Tim Bidwell, who created a sound-insulated vocal booth in his bedroom with luxuriant velvet drapes that he bought for £580 from Debenhams.

There is now an industry “buzz” surrounding Walsh, who cites Debussy as an influence and deferred a place at the London College of Music to pursue her singing career.

She said: “I was a classical pianist until the age of 18. I never thought that I could have a career as a female singer-songwriter.”

She was invited to perform at a talent-spotting convention attended by record company bosses in Austin, Texas, last month but was not impressed. “I didn’t like being part of an industry conveyer belt,” she said. “I prefer the pace of life in Brighton or in Burnham-on-Crouch.”

Although she is selling thousands of albums a week, fame is an unwelcome intrusion. “I want to maintain my privacy and I don’t want to meet my musical heroes,” she said. “It can only shatter your illusions.”

She wants to maintain her digital cottage industry but has agreed to license her album to a distribution company so that her CDs can reach the shops. She is also now addicted to the iTunes album chart. “You end up looking at it every day to see if you’re still No 1. I think I’m ahead of Elton.”

As for finally investing in an iPod, she said: “I hear they are quite handy for ten-hour flights.”

Oliver Schusser, director of iTunes Europe, said: “This is an incredible achievement when you consider Kate Walsh is unsigned and still outsold several major international artists." Tim’s House is available on CD and iTunes. Kate Walsh plays Birmingham Academy, tomorrow; Glasgow King Tuts, April 9; Manchester Academy, April 10; London Electro Acoustic Club April 11; London ULU, April 12.

Explore Music

• Festivals

• CD Reviews

• Live Reviews

• Classical

Editor's choice

• U2 at Nou Camp Stadium, Barcelona
• The 50 Best Movie Villains
• The 15 golden rules of theatre etiquette