Local Pop Phenom Vying for Spot to Perform at Z100's Jingle Ball

Seventeen-year-old Tiffany Giardina grew up listening to Z100—and she said she can hardly believe she's one of five finalists who could win the chance to sing at one of their biggest events of the year.

It's hardly surprising to the rest of us, after looking at her accomplishments—most of them realized through her take-charge approach toward a future in music.

In the last five years, the Waccabuc teen formed a band and booked her own music education tour, performing at schools up and down the East Coast. She's already a veteran stage performer, having opened for the Jonas Brothers, Mitchel Musso, and Corbin Bleu, among others. Her debut album, No Average Angel, was a regional success on Billboard's charts, and she has a single, I'm Not Crazy, debuting on Radio Disney.

And now this talented up-and-comer has a shot at being named the 'Hometown Hero' at the New York City radio station Z100's Jingle Ball, an annual holiday music fest held this year on Dec. 10 at Madison Square Garden.

The main stage features such headliners as Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Michael Buble. Giardina is vying for a chance to perform in the All-Access Lounge, a first-come first served free event at which pop-star-hopefuls will entertain the crowd.

"Just to be associated with the event would be incredible," she said, acknowledging that, though she's already shared the stage with Justin Bieber at the 2010 Pop-Con—an all day pop culture experience for tweens at the Nassau Colisseum—being selected by fans for Z100's event would fulfill a dream to hear her own voice on the radio station she's always listening to.

After attending Katonah-Lewisboro schools through the ninth grade, Giardina spent the last two years being homeschooled, which gave her the flexibility to write, record and perform her music. She's recorded at a studio in Mount Kisco with record producer/writer Aaron Accetta, who has worked with Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block and Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys.

Local moms of young girls may recognize Giardina's voice from the title track of the latest installment of the Barbie movie franchise, A Barbie Fashion Fairytale, released on DVD in September.

Giardina's favorite song she's written is called Love to Hate You. "It's about how you can love and hate someone at the same time," she said, noting the song is getting a lot of attention—and she thinks it could be Z100 material.

Whether or not she makes it to the Jingle Ball, Giardina has big plans. She graduates from high school in December and is headed to Los Angeles, for the TV pilot season, having spent the past year honing her acting skills.

But she's not giving up on singing, she said. "Performing my music—that's who I am."

To vote for Tiffany Giardina as 'Hometown Hero,' follow this link: http://eventful.com/competitions/hometownhero2010. Voting ends at midnight on Thursday.