The 53rd annual Grammy awards took place in Los Angeles, where Lady Gaga “graced” the red carpet in an intergalactic egg and Cee-Lo Green performed in a Peacock suit. These stunts may have brought more attention to the award show, but most shocking were the big trophies that went home that night, including Lady Antebellum, Esperanza Spalding and Arcade Fire.
Now, let me start off by saying that these types of award shows are — for the most part — very predictable. Most viewers aren’t sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for the winner to be announced. Instead, they sit comfortably back in their seats and smugly announce whom they think is going to win. So when Esperanza Spalding took home the Grammy for Best New Artist, people were not sitting at the edge of their seat, but many were falling off.
With Spalding trumping Justin Bieber and Drake, the entire audience was surprised. So if you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of Esperanza Spalding before, it’s probably because you don’t listen to contemporary jazz.
Since Sunday, I’ve had the chance to look up her music, and she’s really quite good. But frankly, our generation doesn’t listen to jazz, let alone our parents’. This brings into question how out of touch the Recording Academy — made up of the artists and music professionals that decide the winners — is with music consumers. I dislike Justin “Beaver” just as much as the next guy, but you can’t deny the millions of dollars this kid is bringing in. Not only does he have two certified platinum albums, but he also released a concert film that pulled in $29.5 million this past weekend alone.
So should the award be based on musical success, or should it be based on the merit of their musical talent, regardless of their success in the industry? Because we all know there are many artists who may be successful, but their career would crumble if it weren’t for auto-tune. Bieber hands down is more successful than Spalding, and we have millions of his tween fans as evidence.
The last thing I am trying to do is advocate for Justin Bieber winning the award, but this is just another example of how out of touch the voters of the Recording Academy are with the consumers of music: us. As much as I enjoy Arcade Fire and Esperanza Spalding’s music, I can’t help but wonder: Do we need a Recording Academy that recognizes artists with talent? Or one that considers what consumers deem popular?
Rudy Mendoza is a sophomore communications major and contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
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