NYC celebrates 2015 with Taylor Swift and a big ball

The singer protagonist among the huge crowd of people in the streets of the "Big Apple" for the celebration of the new year

Taylor Swift performs "Welcome to New York" during her performance just before midnight from Times Square in New York City on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2015 on ABC.

ABC/Lou Rocco

Times Square, known across the globe for its non-stop bustle, erupted in cheers and confetti as the nearly 5,400-kg ball, featuring 32,000 LED lights and 2,688 Waterford crystals, marked the final minute of 2014.

Almost 200 million Americans were expected to tune in for the moment, and organizers estimated it would eventually be seen by as many as one billion more people around the world.

TV celebrity Ryan Seacrest hosted a televised live show ahead of the countdown to 2015, and several musical acts including Taylor Swift and singer-songwriter Idina Menzel performed.

The 25-year-old star took the stage about 15 minutes before the Times Square Ball drop and electrified a crowd of one million gathered for the annual tradition.

High above the crowds waiting to watch the ball drop in Times Square, Taylor delighted her fans shivering below — and crowded around their TVs worldwide — with lively performances of “Welcome To New York” and “Shake It Off.” 

The temperature was around freezing but wind chill made it feel several degrees cooler.

Fergie, Charli XCX, One Direction, Iggy Azalea and Idina Menzel rushed to perform on the annual New Year’s Rockin Eve broadcast on Wednesday night on ABC.

Ryo Koto, who had traveled for 30 hours from Fukuoka in Japan, was among the first to arrive in the square.

“We made it!” he told the New York Daily News, sporting an American flag across his shoulders and a pair of 2015 glasses. “First ones in! This is so awesome, so cool.”

New York police officers were out in force, enforcing an alcohol ban and using bomb-sniffing dogs to check for potential threats.

The beleaguered New York Police Department has come under scrutiny in recent days after two of its own were shot dead in an ambush.

Some officers, fearing for their safety, have reportedly cut back on arresting people for minor offenses.

The man who killed the officers had said he was reacting to the high-profile police killings of unarmed African American men. Several such cases in 2014 sparked nationwide protests.

The police department has also been involved in a public spat with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio after he said he had urged his biracial son to take extra care when dealing with officers.