Yesterday, millions of tween girls and adult perverts were heartbroken when Justin Bieber failed to win the Grammy for 'Best New Artist'. They immediately took to the Twitter-net to vent their frustrations. 'How could he lose?', they thought. As any good, irrational mob does they decided to take their frustration out on a unsuspecting, helpless individual; 'Best New Artist' winner Esperanza Spalding. Now I must admit, I've never heard of Miss Spalding until last night, I am embarrasingly ignorant to hip Jazz bass scene that is sweeping our nations coffee houses and college campusses. That being said, last night was also the first time I ever heard or seen Bieber for more than ten seconds, but I'm not exactly his target demographic due to the circumstance that I like women. The result is that I am curious to hear Spalding's music and I was more than a little impressed by Bieber's ability to do what he does.
Who deserved the award? I'm not sure. What does 'Best New Artist' mean, anyway? Should it be based on who brought the most joy to people and made the biggest splash in the music industry? If it did, you couldn't make an argument for not giving it to Bieber. Is it based on musical merit? I'm not talking about preferance or opinion, but on the pursuit of perfecting one's crafting and creating a stellar piece of art. Like I said, I'm not familiar with Spalding's work, but one could only assume an off-the-radar Jazz musician spends more time in the studio and less on photo shoots. Her latest album is her third as a solo artist, not including many other releases as part of other groups. This only lends some credibilty to her proficiency in her field. But if we are going to be a stickler for incosequentials like 'talent' or 'ability', shouldn't we wonder why an artist who released her third album can even be eligable for 'Best New Artist'? Were her fist two not eligable? Isn't it the job of the Recording Academy to find and highlight such artists?
What I find most interesting is what last night's events made apparent; there is an intense amount of cynicism present in today's youth. Since last night, Twitter has become a wasteland of hate messages directed towards Spalding from self-proclaimed Bieber fanatics. They event went so far as to deface her Wikipedia page. The sentiment amongst these young fans is that Spalding is a mainstream unknown, and thus undeserving of the award. This is a disturbing example of the undeniable feeling of entitlement that seems to be prevalent among the younger generation. Last night, these fans learned first hand that they can not and will not always get their way. Take this as a life lesson, Bieber fans.
I must say this; I am not one of those people who are hating on Bieber and his fans, that seems to be a popular sentiment, today. I suspect this comes from a place of jealously. He's a good looking kid who makes popular, accessible music. I'm sure the same feelings were common when a young Michael Jackson took the stage. Kids need pop music, it's an entry way to further artistic discovery. You don't hand a 7 year-old The White Album. In other words, Bieber fans, please don't take down my site.
No comments:
Post a Comment