Phoebe Bridgers, a Grammy-winning musician, criticized former Grammy Awards head Neil Portnow for his past comments about female artists needing to “step up” to win awards.
Portnow faced backlash for his remarks on women’s representation at the Grammys.
A lawsuit was later filed against him, accusing him of negligence and assault.
“I have something to say about women,” Bridgers said.
“The ex-president of the Recording Academy, Neil Portnow, said that if women want to be nominated and win Grammys that they should step up. He’s also being accused of sexual violence. And to him, I’d like to say I know you’re not dead yet, but when you are, rot in piss.”
“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,” Portnow said.
“I don’t have personal experience of those kinds of brick walls that you face, but I think it’s really a combination,” he said. “Us as an industry making the welcome mat very obvious, creating mentorships, creating opportunities not only for women but all people who want to be creative and really paying it forward and creating that next generation of artists who feel like they can do anything, they can say anything.”
“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,” female artist Pink wrote.
The lawsuit’s allegations were labeled as “outrageous” by Portnow’s representative.
The incident sparked discussions about the culture of abuse and oppression in the music industry.
“He does a disservice to every woman and every musician who is being oppressed by him and others,” lawyer Jeffrey R. Anderson said. “This is not just about Neil Portnow and not just about the Recording Academy, but about the culture in the music and entertainment industry and its doublespeak about rape and abuse.”
This comes as women artists dominated the 2024 Grammy Awards, with notable wins by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Victoria Monét, and Billie Eilish.
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