YELVERTON-based fiddle player Seth Lakeman is still reeling from his appearance at the prestigious Mercury Music Prize ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel, London last week. ?That event has changed my life both professionally and personally,? he said, enjoying a brief period of calm at his West Devon home before preparing for his European tour with the Levellers. The 28-year-old was one of a 12-act line-up at the Mercury ceremony ? which included top groups Coldplay and the Kaiser Chiefs. He performed the title track from his acclaimed album Kitty Jay and, as a result of that national exposure, sales of his CD have soared. ?The Mercury event was the most pressure I have been under because you are up there on your own.? Seth said it was more daunting than the Dartmoor Prison gig he did to launch his Kitty Jay CD because of the build up with all the publicity. ?There was also pressure from the folk world so I had a lot on my shoulders.? However, he said he felt ?on top of the world? as a result of being on a shortlist that had been whittled down from 170 entries by a panel of music industry experts. ?The way it ran out was perfect because I got so much out of it. It pushed me into the spotlight. I haven?t made any money at the moment, but I will. Some good cheques will come my way,? he grinned. Judges described Seth?s self-penned piece as ?urgent, thrilling and haunting? but the top prize of £20,000 went to Anthony and the Johnsons ? fronted by New York singer Anthony Hegarty. ?I?m pretty relieved to be honest. The nomination is the perfect step. We are number two in the albums sales on Amazon and I?m the first folk act to be played on Radio 1 in 25 years,? he said. ?It is really important. It has meant so much for the music and me.? He said the exposure at the Mercury Music Prize had been ?incredible?. It had triggered a lot of interest from the music industry ? and a lot of requests for interviews. However, he said he would be wary of any attempts to fast forward him into new musical directions that might sidetrack him from his chosen course. ?What I don?t want to do is start changing the way things are going. With this career it is all about timespan. I want longevity ? I want to be doing this in 20 years.? Immediately after the ceremony Seth performed the track live for Radio 2. ?It has been a real whirlwind of different opportunities suddenly coming into line,? he said. ?Things I never dreamed of being able to achieve, such as selling out concerts months before. It is just incredible.? The Kitty Jay CD ? released by Seth and recorded in his musician brother Sean?s kitchen in Horrabridge ? is selling some 1,000 copies a week. Seth has now struck a deal with music download service iTunes ? which means that millions of people around the world will get the chance to hear his work. He said when his record was picked the panel did not know what he looked like. However, as he does not look like everyone?s characature of a folkie he slipped effortlessly into the spotlight without a pewter mug. Playing his traditionally inspired music before an audience more geared to mainstream is he said: ?Good because it has broken boundaries.? Seth is delighted his music has suddenly reached such a wide audience and feels it can only be good for folk music as a whole. So many people harbour a sterotype image of what they presume all folk singers must look like it is good to prove them wrong. ?It is difficult breaking out of the mould but events like this are a great boost.? Seth has been a professional musician since leaving school 10 years ago. His new single, The Bold Knight, will be released on October 3. This autumn he will be touring both in UK and in Europe with the Levellers. An album called ?Freedom Fields? which was due to be released has been put on the backburner while ?Kitty Jay? sales are in the ascendancy. More details can be found on his website: http://www.sethlakeman.co.uk">www.sethlakeman.co.uk