Leave it to Pink to put Grammys president Neil Portnow in his place. The “What About Us” singer went on the defensive after the record producer said female artists and executives need to “step up” in order to be recognized in the music industry.
Neil claimed the reason only one woman took home a 2018 Grammy in the major categories had nothing to do with sexism — but everything to do with women not performing at the same level as their male counterparts. Thankfully, Pink took to Twitter to call BS.
“Women in music don’t need to ‘step up’ — women have been stepping since the beginning of time,” she shared in a note on her social media account. “Stepping up, and also steppin aside. Women OWNED music this year. They’ve been KILLING IT. And every year before this. When we celebrate and honor the talent and accomplishments of women, and how much women STEP UP every year, against all odds, we show the next generation of women and girls and boys and men what it means to be equal, and what it looks like to be fair.”
Pink and daughter Willow
Other female musicians have echoed her sentiments. Charli XCI tweeted, “ugh bout 2 step up on 2 ur face.. women are making AMAZING music right now wtf is this dude talking about ?????” Meanwhile, many outraged viewers took to Twitter to share their thoughts on #GrammysSoMale. “Once again, #EdSheeran wins over much stronger female contenders, so instead of #kesha’s song about overcoming sexual abuse, we reward another song by a man about a woman’s body,” one person wrote.
Others thought the Grammys president made a valid point. “Women do better, stop acting like victims..Whitney, Mariah, Christina, Taylor..all dominated the Grammys at one point..it’s not a conspiracy..the men just did better this time,” a commenter added.
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But, a recent study shows that there is a real disconnect when it comes to female nominees. Statistics shows that only nine percent of the 899 nominees over the past six Grammys were women.
Despite these statistics, it’s heartwarming to know that there are singers — like Pink! — who are committed to building up other women.
Last year, she delivered a moving speech dedicated to her daughter. “So, baby girl, we don’t change,” she said at the 2017 VMAs. “We take the gravel in the shell and we make a pearl and we help other people to change so that they can see more kinds of beauty.”
