Pink, Katy Perry, Iggy Azalea & More Slam Grammy President For Saying “Women Need To Step Up” … And He Responds

Published: Tuesday 30th Jan 2018 by Sam

The fall-out from the 2018 Grammys seems to be more compelling than the show itself.

Beyond several questionable snubs, one of the main talking points was the lack of female winners at this year’s ceremony. Notably, Alessia Cara was the only female to win an award in a major category.

When quizzed on the matter, Grammy President Neil Portnow made quite the faux pas by saying:

“I think it has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and 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 the executive level — to step up.”

He continued on with less stinging remarks, but it was too late – the firestorm had begun.

And Pink, who ironically performed as this year’s show, poured the most fuel on the flames.

Details below…

In a statement posted on Twitter, the 38-year old wrote:

“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 honor that 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.”

The Pop rebel earned raptuous applause from many, including fellow Pop stars Katy Perry and Iggy Azalea:

In a statement issued this morning, Portnow tried to clean up and clarify his remarks saying:

“Last night, I was asked a question about the lack of female artist representation in certain categories of this year’s GRAMMY Awards. Regrettably, I used two words, “step up,” that, when taken out of context, do not convey my beliefs and the point I was trying to make.

Our industry must recognize that women who dream of careers in music face barriers that men have never faced. We must actively work to eliminate these barriers and encourage women to live their dreams and express their passion and creativity through music. We must welcome, mentor, and empower them. Our community will be richer for it. I regret that I wasn’t as articulate as I should have been in conveying this thought. I remain committed to doing everything I can to make our music community a better, safer, and more representative place for everyone.”

Got to commend Pink and co for speaking up and out.

Your thoughts?

Comments 33

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  1. iluhmesomeDRAMA January 30, 2018

    Just like with Jay Z getting ROBBED OF HIS WELL DESERVED FKN GRAMMY, I will say this; stop attending! Women need to stop attending! Artists that keep getting snubbed by this jerk & his grammys committee need to stop attending! BIG ARTISTS NEED TO STOP PERFORMING THERE! Let the show fall apart and watch him get the boot for it.

    • China January 30, 2018

      Ed “troll” Sherran DID NOT DESERVE A “VOCAL” AWARD. HOW DID HE BEAT “PINK AND KELLY CLARKSON” WHO ARE REAL VOCALIST. BULL_SHIT

    • XYZ January 30, 2018

      So it‘s like „well, if you don’t give me an award, then I won‘t come?“

  2. S****** Blonde January 30, 2018

    Women are always whining about something, since the beginning of recorded history men have proved to be superior in many fields, and music just happen to be one of them, it is true, women need to step their game up if they want to be recognized in an industry where 98% of producers, songwriters, engineers etc are men, I’m tired of this “woke” era, truth hurts but it should be told.

    • Paulo January 30, 2018

      the irony of this statement is that you’re the only one constantly whining about female/black empowerment and accolades. you’re the true representation of mediocrity – white, male and straight. deuces!

      • S****** Blonde January 30, 2018

        Keep blaming straight men for women and gays’s failures.

      • China January 30, 2018

        S****** BLONDE IS A CLOSET GAY. WHAT STRAIGHT “WHITE” GUY COMES ON A URBAN BLOG AND RANTS AND GOSSIPS ALL DAY. ONLY GAY MEN FLOW LIKE THAT. HONEY, OPEN THOSE LEGS LIKE YOU DO YOUR MOUTH ON HERE AND ACCEPT WHO YOU ARE. REAL MEN DON’T BASH WOMEN AND COMPLAIN, YOU ARE 100% NOT HETRO HUNTY, YOUR A Q**** BOO. GET YA LIFE.

      • Jasmine January 30, 2018

        S****** the RACIST F A G G O T is back at it again hating hard on black people and spewing hate. That thing needs to be put down.

    • China January 30, 2018

      DEAR S****** BLONDE. STFU YOU LAME OVER OPINIONATED DEPRESSED T*****. THE TIME YOU SPEND ON HERE GIVING YOUR LIFE STORIES, GO FIND A MAN AND JOIN WEIGHT WATCHERS YOU LAME F. LAST I CHECKED YOU WANTED TO “BE A WOMAN” RIGHT. STFU TROLL, YOU WILL NEVER BE A “REAL” WOMAN, AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE GO THROUGH BIT_CH.

      • S****** Blonde January 30, 2018

        WHAT?….Lmao where do you get that from?, you guys are hilarious, I know you want to “drag”, “shade” or whatever you call it but do better, me wanting to be a woman, lol, I heard it all now ?

      • Jasmine January 30, 2018

        S****** the RACIST t***** is back at it again hating hard on black people and spewing hate. That thing needs to be put down.

    • Pat January 30, 2018

      What “men” besides Michael and maybe Elton John have sold more than Barbra, Whitney, Mariah, and Celine, just to name a few. Or have even broken more records in music as Mariah and Rhianna? What male performer in todays industry other than Bruno and Crhis brown who is questionably relevant, can even come close to a Beyonce on the stage? You should really stop commenting on here and maybe consider jumping off a cliff u piece of sh*t cu*t!

      • S****** Blonde January 30, 2018

        Commercial success is irrelevant, I’m talking about talent, men aren’t better musicians than women, that’s a fact, and not you using Beyoncé as an example, there are even better female performers than her, let alone male performers.

      • Jasmine January 30, 2018

        S****** the RACIST F A G G O T is back at it again hating hard on black people and spewing hate. That thing needs to be put down.

    • ??? January 30, 2018

      lmao gurl sit down and shut up, youre just mad because your golden boy justina timberb*tch is flopping all over the universe lmfaoooo

      • Fancy BISH January 30, 2018

        LMAO

      • Pat January 30, 2018

        And if Janet doesn’t make a surprise appearance the b**** will have one of the worst halftime shows ever!

    • Francis January 30, 2018

      Seriously, someone needs to block this misogynist, racist and homophobe person from this site. I just can’t believe you wrote that. Wow

    • Truest January 30, 2018

      Funny, you champion the end of the “woke” era yet you still claim to want the truth. The truth does hurt, but mediocre white men like you stopped listening to it long ago and only champion “the truth” when its words out of the mouth of another bigoted idiot like yourself and Trump. You are a waste, this much we all know is true.

    • Jasmine January 30, 2018

      S****** the RACIST t***** is back at it again hating hard on black people and spewing hate. That thing needs to be put down.

  3. Paulo January 30, 2018

    Iggy has a point. I low-key wished Bey and Blue would’ve stayed home.

    speaking of which, I can’t help but notice that Pink and’em are mad now that they got snubbed themselves. last year when Lemonade was snubbed the only female who actually publicly slammed that decision was (ironically) Adele.

    • Ohpippy January 30, 2018

      Facts!!! ??‍♂️

    • ??? January 30, 2018

      lol thats because roach is a puppet being pimped by camel. she doesnt have a brain of her own and she does what shes told, camel told her to go to the grammys and like a good litte h00ker she did what her pimp told her to do lmfaooo.

  4. Cough Cough January 30, 2018

    #MeToo

  5. Datredd23 January 30, 2018

    Woman are doing very well for themselves don’t need his approval or recognition!

  6. January 30, 2018

    They need to stop letting a f-cking grammy defined them, all of them get caught up with it because with a grammy you are better than so and so, that is the f****** narrative that surrounds these grammies. they all are good a great artist who is living there lives making money have a lot of fans who love them. instead of making some dinosaurs defined their music disciding if it’s good enough, though some damn award and show.it’s a dirty politics.

  7. tru.tea.ldn January 30, 2018

    Hey dark skin ladies according to the president of the grammies u need to step up and force people who are all colorstruck to see your talent even when they award best new artist to a lady who released an album in 2015….hey white ladies please dont moan n whinge when your producer rapes u and goes scott free whilst he continues to ruin your reputation, and causes you to struggle with depression !! yep get over it n step up!!

    #KMT #SMH

  8. Stephy January 30, 2018

    Mess

  9. Realtalk January 30, 2018

    Real talk, after last year of Beyoncé being snubbed from AOTY which even Adele said she to believe Beyoncé should’ve received that coverent award should have been Beyonce. So in my saying maybe if Beyonce Jay-Z as well as other well deserved artist do boy cott for a few years don’t show/perform until they receive do respect let see how the outcome will be

  10. Realtalk January 30, 2018

    Real talk, after last year of Beyoncé being snubbed from AOTY which even Adele said she to believe Beyoncé should’ve received that coverent award should have been Beyonce. So in my saying maybe if Beyonce Jay-Z as well as other well deserved artist do boy cott for a few years don’t show/perform until they receive do respect let see how the outcome will be.

  11. Your Name January 30, 2018

    Women had the charts on LOCK from about 2007-2015. Beyonce, Taylor, Nicki, Katy, Gaga, Kesha, Pink, Rihanna, Adele just to name a few were perched at the top of album and singles charts with hardly any males in sight. Now the men have stepped up and left the women behind. Most of the #1 singles last year were from men, and I don’t see the narrative changing anytime soon. Times have changed. #GetOverIt

  12. Whalei January 30, 2018

    All this trashy women. Who cares about a bunch of hasbeens. They are nothing and using this ridicule times up platform go wash cothes

  13. iamdiego January 31, 2018

    they need to serate the awards.. Best male/ best female. and have more R&B categories.

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