The most popular of the two - English/Irish blooded, feisty folk pop princess Kate Nash has been riding the crest of a commercial wave since the summer.

It was the 20-year-old Harrow woman's witty romantic break-up song, Foundations, which became the soundtrack to manys a summer time student party last year.

That breakthrough hit stayed in the UK Top Five for two months and underlined the lightning fast speed of her success - just 14 months after she had played her first ever gig for £30 in April 2006.

Part of Nash's extraordinary word-of-mouth rise to fame came courtesy of the MySpace website, as her punk-influenced DIY attitude saw tens of thousands of people listen to her sassy, cynical folk pop songs with dance beats.

Similarly sassy singer/songwriter Lily Allen's seal of approval also brought more attention to Nash. And when the former drama graduate's debut album Made Of Bricks was rush-released seven weeks before its intended date, Nash became a youthful chart topper.

She's gone on to score another two Top 30 hit singles - Mouthwash and Pumpkin Soup.

And her progression from bedroom strummer to bona fide singer/songwriter star is emphasized by the growth in the size of venues she can now fill in Belfast. Just last April, Nash pulled in a paltry 60 punters for her JD Set gig at Auntie Annie's, Belfast. But, by November she was able to pack the Mandela Hall.

Tonight she will play a sold-out show in the Waterfront.

She's just come off a global tour, which brought her to Australia, Japan and the USA. Nash is currently demo-ing new tunes, including Cat Song, inspired by her current obsession for Sixties' soul pop divas The Supremes!

By contrast, that other young singing/songwriting Kate - Kate Walsh - is something of a more secret pleasure.

This 24-year-old Essex woman with the pure bel canto voice recalling vintage melodic Joni Mitchell, has not achieved the mainstream chart-topping success of Kate Nash.

Walsh's music is less quirky, less immediate and less commercially attractive. But under its quiet, subdued melancholic tones, there is a heart of gold strength to her songs.

She does have her supporters. Like Nash, Walsh achieved a level of success long before she signed the dotted line with a major record company. Her second album Tim's House hit the Number One spot on the iTunes chart, toppling the big hitters like Take That and Kaiser Chiefs.

However, when it was given a mainstream release on a major label, Tim's House just managed to scrape into the Top 75, which is a pity considering the strength of its subtle, heartfelt songs and pure vocal performances.

Walsh's new single, the typically emotionally naked Don't Break My Heart, is intended to give her album that much needed new lease of chart life.

But, right now, you can't help wondering if the advance of a new breed of young female singer/songwriter - the precocious white soul divas Adele and Duffy - may spell bad news for guitar-toting types such as Kate Nash and Kate Walsh.

? Kate Nash is at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast tonight. The gig is sold out. Kate Walsh plays Auntie Annie's, Belfast tonight. Tickets, £8, are available from Katy Daly's and Ticketmaster outlets.