Pink has responded to comments made by the head of the Grammys, after he suggested that if more women want to win awards, they should “step up” their efforts musically.

The ‘So What’ singer gave a heartfelt performance during Sunday’s (28 January) ceremony, where a number of viewers expressed disappointment over the fact that of the major awards presented on the night only two of the winners were women (Best New Artist recipient Alessia Cara and Rihanna, who was honoured for her contribution to Kendrick Lamar’s song, ‘LOYALTY.’).

In response to this controversy, Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow said (via Variety): “Women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level… [they need] 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 upon us — us as an industry — to make the welcome mat very obvious, breeding opportunities for all people who want to be creative and paying it forward and creating that next generation of artists.”

Pink has now had her say on the matter in a handwritten message she shared on her Twitter page on Monday night (29 January).

She 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 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.”

This year’s Grammys saw the night’s most nominated woman, SZA, not taking home any of the five awards she was nominated for, while many criticised the decision to give Best Pop Solo Performance to Ed Sheeran over the four female artists he was up against.

Only one woman, Lorde, was nominated for Album Of The Year, for her sophomore effort, ‘Melodrama’.

Bruno Mars was the big winner of the night, taking home six Grammys including the so-called “big three”, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year.