By Kathy Iandoli
There is always some shocking moment every year at the Grammys.
This year, it was Jazz artist Esperanza Spalding's defeat of both Justin Bieber and Drake for the Best New Artist award. Spalding also beat two other nominees: Mumford & Sons, as well as UK band Florence and the Machine. While the multi-instrumentalist is far from a "new" artist, her organic buzz turned up a notch this past year.
"Honestly, I was surprised that she won. She is an amazing talent, but I did not think that as many people knew about her," OP! DJ and organizer of New York's I Love Vinyl series and Label Manager at Decon explains. "It is amazing to see that an artist who actually is a musician got the award."
Spalding's first album was 2006's Junjo, followed by 2008's Esperanza, both accompanied by other instrumentalists. Her solo debut arrived this past year with Chamber Music Society, the work that ultimately led to her taking home a Grammy. "The fact that the Grammy committee was hip to her this year, shows a visible shift in the music industry, where consumers are demanding more talent and real music," Boyuan Gao, Editor-In-Chief of The Revivalist explains. Read More...
Tags 2011, best new artist, Esperanza Spalding, Grammys
