When Welsh singing sensation Duffy played a packed out Zodiac room at the Carling Academy in March, we all knew it was one of the last gigs of its kind.

That night the self-effacing blonde beauty hit Number 1 in the charts, and with it, kissed goodbye to such intimate venues for the foreseeable future.

Debut album Rockferry has now reached double platinum status in the UK with sales currently sitting around the 600,000 mark and still climbing.

Incredibly, it hasn't been out of the top 10 since its release in March while hit tune, Mercy, has rocketed the softly-spoken, and endearingly shy solo star to national, and now international, stardom.

"It's been quite mind-blowing," she says.

"Of course I hoped that people would warm to the album because I make music for people, not for me.

"You hope that a record is going to become something that people want and like, and so it's really surprising how quickly everything has happened."

And she admits it has been tough adjusting to her new found status as a household name, not just for the singer but for her family and friends.

"They've been like excited children at Christmas!" she says.

"It's gone from nobody really caring that I'm a singer to suddenly everyone being super proud. It's very exciting.

"It's very mind-blowing how suddenly I've become different to other people and changed in their eyes."

And, she recalls, with characteristic coyness, that has led to some strange situations - such as being approached by celebrities, with an eye to romance.

"I'm not going to drop any names," she says tantalisingly, "but I was walking around Chelsea about two weeks ago, cigarette and coffee in hand, and I saw this celebrity guy walking towards me.

"Usually with my sister I'm like 'Oh my God I saw so and so today'. But then this guy and his mate stop me, ask for my number and said would I go out for a drink with him! At the end of the day I'm still a kid from Wales and I'm being chatted up by a celebrity in the street! Is that supposed to be normal?"

Since that Oxford gig, Duffy hasn't stopped - stealing the show at Texas's South by South West Festival and a string of major venues - such as Manchester's legendary Ritz Ballroom last night.

Her show at London's Somerset House this July sold out in five minutes. Tomorrow, local fans - including the many who missed out on tickets last time - get a chance to see her again when she plays Wychwood Festival, at Cheltenham Racecourse.

It's the first of a string of festie appearances which also include Glastonbury and the Welsh, but not Oxfordshire, version of Wakestock.

So which is she most looking forward to?

"All of them!" she says. "It's a bit of a whirlwind really. It's like 'Hey what am I doing tomorrow? Glastonbury? Brilliant!"

Duffy's move from rural North Wales to her new home in London provided much of the inspiration.

"I called the album Rockferry because that was the first song I wrote and it's about struggle," she explains.

"Rockferry is like a place in your mind's eye that you get to when you've overcome something.

"It's not a song about love, it's not a song about loss. It's a song about being strong, you know?

"It's not like a mantra because that sounds a bit cheesy and technical, but it was almost like the aim for the record.

"I was moving from Wales, I'd never made music before and I was really afraid. The whole thing, psychologically, was just like trying to get to Rockferry, wherever that was.

"It's something that I have to do and I'm passionate about."

And that passion extends to the recording studio.

"When I'm in the studio I often get this feeling that I'm drowning. You feel like you're being consumed by the creative process.

"When I was making Rockferry I could write a song and then go home at night and feel a little bit like my heart was really heavy, even if the song was going really well."

So does she prefer playing live? "Both sides of things have their good points. I'm enjoying playing live more and more but at the beginning I was really afraid.

"I felt very vulnerable: I was just a girl on stage with a band and a song and nobody really knew the record.

"But I can't really get nervous any more. I want to get off stage feeling that people had a good time.

"I can't stand on my head and do magic tricks, you know, I do what I do and hope that it goes down okay."