As the Yankees roared unstoppably onward toward the World Series last year, there was one song you just couldn’t escape.

Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” wasn’t just big, it was New York City big. Big like an A-Rod line cannon-shot to left field. Big like a Yankee rent-a-pitcher’s starting salary. Even though it was about New York City, you could hear Alicia Keys’ chorus — “These streets will make you feel brand new/Big lights will inspire you/Let’s hear it for New York” — everywhere. Even in Pittsburgh.

Alicia Keys isn’t on this tour with Jay-Z, so the task of singing that mighty chorus night after night fell to an unknown 23-year-old from Manhattan — where else? — named Bridget Kelly. well, unknown, for the moment.

“It’s a dream come true — that’s the best way I can describe it,” Kelly says. “It takes everything that I have creatively, and I absolutely love it.”

Kelly recently signed to Jay-Z’s label, Roc Nation, and has an album in the works for a planned release before the end of the year. More importantly, she’s got the poise and swagger of a born-and-bred New Yorker, clearly essential for this role. she went to LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, of “Fame” fame, and has been waiting for this opportunity ever since she was a little girl, singing along to Whitney and Mariah on the radio.

Then again, when you’re on stage at Madison Square Garden with the biggest rapper in the world, sharing the biggest song in the world on the anniversary of 9/11 — well, it’s natural to be a little nervous.

“Oh, I was definitely nervous,” Kelly says. “But we had a dress rehearsal. it was my first time hearing my own voice in the Garden. there was no one in there except the security guards. we were practicing, and Jay came out onstage while I was singing the chorus along with the band. And he kind of looked back at me and gave a nod of approval. I thought, well, if he thinks I’m doing a great job, I’m going to nail it. And my nerves were gone.”

The song requires a certain amount of the chutzpah to sing — luckily, that seems to come naturally to New Yorkers.

“Being from New York, there’s a lot of pride attached to that,” Kelly says. “It’s one of the only cities that has anthems — like Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and this one. Jay talks about all these different neighborhoods in New York, then the chorus is so big and hits you so hard. I have a real attachment to it.”

There’s really only one way to sing it, she says.

“It’s tough,” Kelly says. “It’s one of those songs you have to really belt out. it took me awhile to really get completely comfortable singing full-out. so every night I try to go out there and raise the bar on myself and sing harder for ‘em — find a little pocket where I can add a small ad-lib or run somewhere, just to kind of make it my own.”

It’s a big song for a big city, and Kelly hopes she does it justice — though she hasn’t yet asked Alicia Keys what she thinks.

“We haven’t had a proper introduction,” Kelly says. “We’ve been together in the same place before, but it’s always been too chaotic.”

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Singer Bridget Kelly masters 'Empire State of Mind'