Pink, Lorde and Charli XCX were also among the female musicians slamming the comment.
Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry aren't having it.
The singers took to Twitter on Tuesday to speak out against GRAMMYs president Neil Portnow's recent comments defending the lack of female winners at this year's awards show. Portnow told reporters at the GRAMMYs that women "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 -- [need] to step up, because I think they would be welcome."
"A confused soul said women need 2 'step up' their A-game if they wanna start winning & u know what I’m not even mad at ignorance," Clarkson wrote. "I’m just gonna kindly point u n the direction of my A-game album I recently dropped #MeaningOfLife #UrWelcome I Jenna Dewan’d that sh*t y’all #stepup."
Perry, meanwhile, shared Pink's powerful note on female musicians, calling her "another powerful woman, leading by example." "We ALL have a responsibility to call out the absurd lack of equality everywhere we see it. I'm proud of ALL the women making incredible art in the face of continual resistance. P.s VH1 Divas Live."
Portnow, who also received criticism from Charli XCX and Lorde, later clarified his words in a statement to ET, confessing that he regrets not being "as articulate as I should have been."
"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," he said.
"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," Portnow continued. "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," he concluded. "I remain committed to doing everything I can to make our music community a better, safer, and more representative place for everyone."
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