An unsigned Cornish singer has been hailed as 'Britain's Taylor Swift' after beating some of pop's biggest stars to become a chart-topper.

Talented musician Bailey Tomkinson, 23, leapt from obscurity to beat both Swift and Miley Cyrus to the number one spot in the iTunes video chart with her latest single Astronaut – all without a manager or record deal.

Her achievements were all the more remarkable as her shoestring budget meant the video was filmed on a recent holiday in New York on a second hand camera she snapped up on e-Bay.

And Bailey has now has now been lauded as a future star herself as record company bosses scramble for her signature.

Bailey, of St Ives, Cornwall, described the last few days as a "whirlwind" and said she is just trying to keep her feet on the ground in the midst of her new-found success.

She said: "I am so thrilled. Being a huge fan of both Miley and Taylor, this is a childhood dream come true territory for me. To think I used to dress up as Hannah Montana as a little girl.

"I'm beyond grateful for this and it's all thanks to support of the people that went out and bought the ‘Astronaut’ video.

"I’ve had a few labels reach out on the back of the news but I’m trying to keep my feet on the ground. It is important I find the right fit.

"The last few days have been pretty crazy, I’ve done some TV and radio interviews, had calls with really exciting people and my socials and email have just blown up.

"I’ve got some really exciting plans for the year and lots of new material I can’t wait to release. I’m hoping to go on tour at the end of the year.

"My focus now is releasing some awesome music and focusing on getting the best possible team around me.

"There’s lots of new music in the pipeline that I can’t wait to share with everyone."

Bailey went straight in at No.1 last weekend beating Lavender Haze by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus' song Flowers.

And she said despite the success, the video almost didn't happen after a stand-off at security at Heathrow Airport about her Super 8 camera as she flew out to New York late last year.

She added: "The video requires special film, which can’t go through the X-ray scanners at airports and the folks at Heathrow security didn’t want to let me on the plane without scanning it first.

"Luckily I was able to persuade them that I was harmless."

The single itself she said was partially inspired by the 'stalker' Joe Golberg from the popular Netflix show 'You'.

Bailey added "In a weird way the character Joe from the Netflix show “YOU” was a bit of a catalyst for the song, especially the line 'I’m an astronaut floating in your space'.

"The idea that you can be in the orbit of somebody without them being aware of you.

"I think we’ve all liked someone before and never done anything about it, I was hoping to capture that feeling in this song.

"The video too, we tried to give that sense of being outside as the world goes on around you.

"I love the kind of vintage aesthetic that you get from old film cameras and New York is just such a spectacular backdrop.

"I love “When Harry Met Sally” and the whole nostalgic feeling that film gives me, so I bought a cheap second hand Super 8 camera on eBay and a friend filmed me while I was there for a gig over Christmas."

Despite her lack of formal backing, Bailey has gained a loyal following on Spotify, where she has tens of thousands of listeners a month.

She previously hit the headlines for using her voice to highlight the negative impact of the G7 meeting world leaders had on Carbis Bay in Cornwall.

Bailey, who lives in neighbouring St Ives, said the focus of her anger had been what she described as the destruction of the Cornish coastal headland by the G7’s venue’s hosts The Carbis Bay Hotel.

The hotel has drawn widespread local criticism after it bulldozed areas of the headland without planning permission to make way for ‘meeting rooms’ it claimed were needed for the summit.