YouTube sensation Esmee Denters is finally out with her first song “Outta Here” produced by Justin Timberlake. Catchy, techno tune. Hard to believe she was discovered from her bedroom on YouTube.

Here’s the making of video:

Pretty cool. Can’t wait for Esmee Denters’ first album. She started singing from her bedroom and posted clips on YouTube. Now she’s with Justin Timberlake, and I think that’s all you need to succeed–besides a good voice.

Haunting.

Best new voice on YouTube I’ve heard in 2009! This song is very catchy; her voice is beautiful. Whoever came up with the idea for this memorable video shot in a pub deserves kudos. She was just signed by an indie label ATO Records.

Visit her YouTube page.

News: Esmee Denters, the teen singing sensation discovered on YouTube, will be performing in San Francisco at YouTube Live 2008.  For more about Esmee, click here for all of my posts about her.

I can’t wait.  This will be a big moment for YouTube and the community.

News: Paul sent in this blog post chronicling how Esmee Denters just went over the 100 million view mark on YouTube. Amazing!

I’ve watched hundreds, if not thousands, of YouTube videos this year. Here are my selections for The Best YouTube Videos of 2007.

1. Best YouTube Video of the Year: Esmee

Esmee Denters is an 18-year-old Dutch girl who started singing on YouTube from her bedroom. Soon, she started drawing hundreds of thousands of views. Then, in the millions. Eventually, a guy named Justin Timberlake signed her to a record deal. This video was shot right before the announcement of the deal. It represents the best that “user-generated content” has to offer.  Wait for the video’s ending. Esmee’s first album will be released in 2008.

2. First Runner-Up: Miss South Carolina

It pains me to select a TV clip as the First Runner-Up, but this video of Miss South Carolina Lauren Caitlin Upton speaks for itself. She’s beautiful and should be a spokesperson for GPS.

3. Second Runner-Up: James Kotecki interviews Ron Paul from his dorm

From his dorm room, James Kotecki interviewed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. Kotecki also interviewed Mike Huckabee, Mike Gravel, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich. The citizen-journalist might have more power today than ever before.

4. Third Runner-Up: Lazydork raps YouTube, so does Renetto

Irreverance is king on YouTube.

5. Fourth Runner-Up: Obama girl

Cleavage is queen on YouTube.

6. Fifth Runner-Up: Ron Paul

He’s the most watched candidate on YouTube. Still trying to figure out why.

7. Sixth Runner-Up: Hillary 1984

Why citizens will be a factor in the presidential election in 2008.

[I reserve 24 hours to revise my picks as I think of other videos I've watched. Drop me an email if you like to nominate another video. utubeblog [at] gmail [dot] com

Esmee Denters

Julia and James “Dirty Dancing” wedding dance

P Diddy

Juddson Laipply

Paul Potts

Tyson, the skateboarding dance

Video click here.  Esmee was very nervous, but there’s no doubt she will be a star.

(Sorry, Oprah’s disabled the embedding of videos, so you need to click the link above.)

News: Today is the day. Oprah officially becomes a YouTuber, hosting Steve Chen and Chad Hurley on her show, along with other YouTubers like Esmee Denters. YouTube will get the “Oprah treatment,” which is not bad for a company nearing 3 years old. If you’re free this afternoon, you can catch Oprah at 4 p.m. (at least in my area). I will blog much more about the show afterwards. Can’t wait.

For more, visit my last post.

News: One of my readers commented that I should have noted that Esmee Denters will be donating all of her royalties from sales of her new song, “Crazy Place” (featured on this video) to charity. The song will be available next week on her website, www.esmeeworld.com. Justin Timberlake and his label Tennman Records will match the amount with a donation of their own.

Analysis: It was almost a year ago when I first began writing about Esmee. Back then, she was an 18-year-old Dutch girl singing to her karaoke machine from her bedroom in her parents’ house. Now, a year later, she’s signed with Justin Timberlake’s new label and will be appearing on Oprah on Tuesday. Wow, now that’s incredible.

As I said when Esmee first announced getting signed to a music contract, I feel so happy for all the success Esmee is experiencing. It couldn’t have happened to a sweeter person. Although Esmee did once have a desire to become a social worker, my guess is that she will be able to achieve much more good through her music. What musician donates all her royalties for her first single to charity? Esmee is something special.

News: How do you know you’ve finally arrived? Oprah Winfrey invites you to be on her show. This Tuesday, Oprah is devoting an entire show to YouTube and its celebrities, including Dutch singing sensation Esmee Denters. Oprah will eventually interview co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen (although I’m not sure it’s on the Tuesday show or not). Hands down, this is the single biggest moment for YouTube as a cultural phenomenon. As I’ve often said to those who ask me about YouTube, YouTube is, without a doubt, the most important website to come along in the 21st century. It has transformed entertainment, music, politics, and the way in which we disseminate information. No wonder that Oprah Winfrey — a phenomenon herself and whose No.1 talk show is seen by 49 million viewers a week — is featuring an entire show on YouTube.

Here’s Esmee’s announcement about being on Oprah:

Analysis: Being on the Oprah show will give YouTube incredible exposure to millions of people, especially women, who probably know next to nothing about YouTube. I wonder how Oprah became interested in YouTube. I can’t wait to watch the show! I love Esmee, but my favorite probably will be Tyson, the skateboarding dog.