Spalding 'missed' Bieber Grammy backlash

Jazz star ESPERANZA SPALDING escaped the backlash from overzealous JUSTIN BIEBER fans after she beat the teen to the Best New Artist Grammy Award - because the newcomer jetted off to Japan straight after her big win.

The little-known singer and bassist was a surprise winner at last month's (Feb11) ceremony, triumphing over more mainstream acts like Bieber and rapper Drake.

The Grammy upset prompted some angry Bieber fans to hit out at Spalding and attack her Wikipedia.com profile, posting nasty messages on the publicly-edited site.

But Spalding admits she didn't experience the harsh criticism in person - because she was already halfway around the world when the news broke.

Speaking on talk show The View on Wednesday (02Mar11), she says, "I didn't (experience it in person), we were in Japan.

"I just heard about it, from friends and acquaintances, but I didn't see it or hear it and I don't think I missed much. And there was so much stuff happening, Justin Bieber and I weren't the only ones there."