Esperanza Spalding: 10 Facts About the Best New Artist Grammy Winner
10 facts about the best-new-artist Grammy winner who beat Justin Bieber.
Feb. 14, 2011 — -- If you've started the day wondering just who on earth Esperanza Spalding is, you're not alone.
The 26-year-old jazz bassist and singer bounded into the spotlight at the Grammys Sunday night when she beat out Justin Bieber to win the best new artist award. On Twitter, Bieber fans erupted, demanding to know how a relatively under-the-radar artist could beat the teen pop sensation of the moment, along with fellow high-profile nominees Drake and Florence & the Machine. (The folk rock band Mumford & Sons was also nominated.) Bieber devotees vandalized Spalding's Wikipedia page, at one point writing, "WHO THE HECK ARE YOU ANYWAY?"
The answer: a musical prodigy with credentials, critical acclaim and famous fans. Below, ten things to know about Spalding:
While she won the best new artist award this year, she's been around for a while. "Esperanza," her 2008 album, spent more than 70 weeks on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and was the most successful internationally selling debut that year. She recorded her first album, "Junjo," in 2006.
