So Cal singer scores Times Square New Year's Eve performance

So Cal singer scores Times Square New Year’s Eve performance

By Randy Lewis

Dec. 28, 2012 12 AM PT

The musical lineup for what surely is the most widely seen New Year’s Eve bash in the country, the annual “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” held in Times Square in New York City and telecast on ABC-TV, will again feature a raft of superstars, including Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, Train, Tiffany Alvord and….

Tiffany Alvord?

She’s the 20-year-old Palmdale native who won a contest to spotlight a new talent during “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” an opportunity that puts her in the company of some of pop music’s biggest names.

She’s slated to perform two songs at 10:02 p.m. Eastern time: one she wrote, “My Heart Is,” the title track from her latest album, and the song that won her the slot at “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” her version of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “This Kiss.”

The aspiring singer and songwriter received more votes for her video than the other eight finalists in the competition set up by cosmetics maker Nivea to find one performer to appear on the Nivea stage on New Year’s Eve.

She hits the road in mid-January on the All-Star Weekend Tour, starting Jan. 19 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, sharing club bills with a revolving slate of bands including the Devious Means, Cute Is What We Aim For and Beneath the Sun.

Alvord started playing piano at 6, writing songs at 10 and learned to play guitar at 12. Although she’s recorded two albums, she’s also attracted fans through her YouTube performances of other artists’ material, including one for Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” that has logged more than 3.2 million views, and a perky rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which has received almost 400,000 views in less than two weeks.

Her video for “This Kiss,” which, not surprisingly, includes a quick closeup of a container of Nivea lip butter, has been viewed more than 850,000 times. It can be seen here: