MUMBAI: Grammy Award-winning singer Pink penned an angry note after the Recording Academy said women in music need to "step up".

Pink took the stage at the Grammys here on Sunday night to give a powerful performance of her song Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.

But after Recording Academy President Neil Portnow excused the low number of female winners and performers at the annual awards show by suggesting women need "to step up", Pink wasn't taking it lying down, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The singer penned a handwritten note that she then posted to her Twitter feed on Monday, responding: "Women in music don't need to 'step up' - women have been stepping since the beginning of time. Stepping up, and also stepping aside."

Pink went on: "Women owned music this year. They have been killing it. And every year before this."

She added: "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."

Only two female artistes won awards at the 2018 Grammys. Lorde, who was the only woman nominated for album of the year, didn't perform because she wasn't offered a solo slot like her male counterparts. 

Asked about those issues backstage at Madison Square Garden, Portnow said: "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."

Grammy-winning artiste Sheryl Crow tweeted: "I wish the Grammys would return to female/male categories."

"Who will young girls be inspired by to pick up a guitar and rock when most every category is filled with men? I'm not sure it is about women needing to 'step up', (as said by the male in charge). #GrammysSoMale"."

There were no women nominated in the record of the year category for the 60th annual Grammy Awards and the only male to be nominated in the best pop solo performance, Ed Sheeran, won. 

Alessia Cara won best new artist and Rihanna also got to take the stage when she and Kendrick Lamar won best rap/sung performance for Loyalty.

Meanwhile, the television audience for the Grammys dropped by more than six million viewers compared to 2017's show, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Citing Nielsen data, CBS, which airs the live telecast, said 19.8 million Americans tuned in for the three and a half hour broadcast, compared with 2017 when 26.1 million people watched on television. 

(Source: IANS)