Beware the Beliebers!
After obscure jazz singer Esperanza Spalding was the surprise winner in the Grammys "Best New Artist" category -- beating out Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine and Drake -- Bieber fans went on an Internet rampage.
Angry "Beliebers" attacked Spalding's Wikipedia page, adding insults, taunts and pro-Bieber messages. After the page listed her as "Best New Artist" winner, one fan wrote, "Justin Bieber deserved it go die in a hole. Who the heck are you anyway?" Another fan wrote "Biber 4 Lyfe." By Monday, the page had been scrubbed clean of insults.
Bieber was slightly less confrontational, though he did tell MTV News, "I'm not going to lie -- I was disappointed. But, you know, I'm gonna come back [next year] and we'll take a few home." He also tweeted to his fans, "As for the awards...of course I wanted to win. Its been & still is a dream to win a grammy. Was I upset...yes. But I was happy for her also. Someone said to me tonight its not your successes that define u but your failures. I lost..but I don't plan on this being my last chance."
But who is she?
The Portland, Oregon-born multilingual singer and upright bass player released her first record, Junjo, in 2006. She followed it up with Esperanza, in 2008, and made major waves in the jazz world. She appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and President Obama invited her to perform at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Concert. In 2010, she released Chamber Music Society, which garnered her the "Best New Artist" nomination.
Next up she'll be releasing a new record -- Radio Music Society -- and heading out on tour with Prince, of whom she says "Everybody knows the hype of who he is as an artist, but he also happens to be a really lovely person. He’s a really, really cool dude. If you ever got a chance to just sit and have a drink with him, you would be laughing and having a great time."
No comments:
Post a Comment