Esperanza on beating Justin Bieber for Grammy

(CBS News) 

At last month’s Grammy awards, Esperanza Spalding, a jazz bassist/singer, shocked the music world by beating pop superstar Justin Bieber in the category of Best New Artist.

For months, many saw a Bieber victory as a foregone conclusion. His first full album went double-platinum, and he’s sold more than seven million songs online.

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While Spalding was on-stage, everyone else was online, trying to figure out who she was. The next morning, her name was the top search on Google, and what many learned was that the 26-year-old has serious musical chops.

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By age 5, Spalding was playing violin for the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. And by age 20, she not only graduated from the Berklee College of Music, she became its youngest faculty member. Her 2008 solo debut album, “Esperanza,” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart, where it stayed for more than 70 weeks.

Among Spalding’s fans are some pretty big names, such as Stevie Wonder, who asked her to perform during his tribute concert at the White House. And first lady Michelle Obama invited her back for the White House Poetry Jam. President Obama even asked her to perform when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.

Last year, Spalding released “Chamber Music Society.” The album earned her even more acclaim, and she made history by becoming the first jazz musician to win a Grammy for best new artist.

What was it like to hear John Legend announce her name?

Spalding told “Early Show” co-anchor Erica Hill on Monday, “For a split second, I thought maybe he was kidding. I thought it was a joke. I was just totally shocked. Nobody really expected that. We were, like ‘What?’ And then, excited, of course.”

Has it sunk in?

“I think so,” she said. “I mean, I don’t know what it is yet, exactly. I’ve never been there before. But you know, we’re doing our daily sort of playing, practicing, touring, and my mind is more focused on that. Every once in awhile, someone goes ‘What does it feel like?’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about it. Yeah. It’s great.”‘

And what about Bieber? Was he upset that he didn’t win the Grammy?

Spalding said, “He was very gracious, and we met right after the show and exchanged hair touches. He was very sweet and gracious and he didn’t seem upset. Very kind young man.”