Women in music don't need to 'step up': Pink slams Grammys head

Los Angeles: Singer Pink has criticised Recording Academy president Neil Portnow for his comments on lack of women winners at the recently-concluded Grammy Awards.

Remarking on only two female artistes Alessia Cara and Rihanna bagging the golden gramophone, the Grammys head had said women in the music industry need to "step up".

Pink shared a handwritten note on Twitter, in which she called out Portnow saying "women have been stepping since the beginning of time".

"Women in music don't need to 'step up' - women have been stepping since the beginning of time. Stepping up, and also stepping aside. Women OWNED music this year. They've been KILLING IT. And every year before this.

"When we celebrate and honour 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 (sic)," she wrote.

pic.twitter.com/BI861sjSZ4 — P!nk (@Pink) January 29, 2018

Bruno Mars emerged the biggest winner at the Grammys scoring seven awards, closely followed by Kendrick Lamar who took home five trophies.

Portnow had told reporters backstage that he believes increased visibility on the shows with more women who "step up" to become part of the industry.

"I think it has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and their souls who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, who want to be producers, who want to be part of the industry on an executive level to step up.

"Because I think they would be welcome, I don't have personal experience of those kinds of brick walls that you face, but I think it's really a combination? it's us as an industry making the welcome mat very obvious, creating mentorships, creating opportunities not only for women but for all people who want to be creative..." he had said.