A Canadian teen heartthrob with serious bangs and a Canadian actor-turned-rapper were no match for an American jazz bassist-vocalist in the Grammy contest for this year's best new artist. Defying expectations, 26-year-old Esperanza Spalding (also a 2010 Root 100 honoree) beat out Justin Bieber and Drake, as well as Florence and the Machine and Mumford & Sons, for the trophy.
Suggested Reading
If you don't know who she is yet, check out her August 2010 interview with The Root — Esperanza Spalding on Taking a Big Risk — and check out the video below of her 2009 White House performance.
In other news, Seen and Heard at Fashion Week: Cynthia Bailey and Anika Noni Rose.
Sheryl Huggins Salomon is senior editor-at-large of The Root and a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based editorial consultant. Follow her on Twitter.
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