New York, NY - Bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding was nominated for "Best New Artist" along with Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence & the Machine, and Mumford and Sons.

Spalding is the only "Best New Artist" nominee to be included in NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2010, which she is for her recording Chamber Music Society (Heads Up International/Concord Music Group).

Spalding combines the imaginative flights of a serious improviser with the musical accessibility of a pop star, and within two years of her solo debut has beguiled success at nearly unimaginable heights. Esperanza, her 2008 release, spent over 70 weeks on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and was the most successful internationally selling debut that year.

Spalding's most recent release, Chamber Music Society, is a brilliant marriage of a string quartet and jazz trio, and a showcase for her eclectic sensibilities along with her vocal and compositional talents. Other career highlights include two televised performances at the White House, a Banana Republic ad campaign, interviews and performances on NPR, appearances on late night television including Late Night with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live, features in The New Yorker and Oprah Magazine, numerous awards and high profile tour dates, capped by an invitation to perform at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

Spalding has received unanimous praise for her album Chamber Music Society. USA Today said "the intimate small-group setting and her warm vocals make Music an experience worth savoring. Relax and enjoy." The New York Times said, "Since the 2008 release of Esperanza (Heads Up), Ms. Spalding has been the recipient of a truly unusual amount of goodwill. A smart, surefooted bassist and a frolicsome, irrepressible singer, she does her part to justify the acclaim." Downbeat noted "Spalding takes all the well-earned hype she received from her 2008 major-label debut, Esperanza, and shows she is just that good, and even better...she's become one of the most exciting artists on the music scene," while Rolling Stone said Spalding's "talent is undeniable."