Recording Academy Responds to Gender Bias Backlash by Announcing New Grammys 'Task Force'

The Grammys are trying to tackle gender bias in the industry head-on.

This is a picture of SZA.
Getty

Image via Getty

This is a picture of SZA.

In the wake of women being grossly underrepresented at last week's Grammy Awards, the Guardian reports that the Recording Academy is planning to set up an independent task force to tackle gender bias. The team will focus on reviewing current practices, identifying barriers, and creating opportunities to move forward in a much more inclusive way. At the most recent Grammy Awards, just 11 of the 84 winners were women, and only a single woman, Alessia Cara, accepted an award during the live telecast.

In a statement issued on the official Grammy website on Thursday, Portnow promises the task force will "attack [gender bias] head-on," and investigate "every aspect of what we do as an organization," when it comes to barriers facing female artists. The full statement reads:

To The Music Community—

But it may be too little, too late. The Academy's CEO Neil Portnow recently found himself in hot water for responding to criticisms about the lack of female winners by saying women need to "step up." He would later apologize for his remarks after heated backlash from fans and artists alike, including Pink, Lorde, Katy Perry, and Haim. In the wake of his comments and an industry that has failed women in various ways for decades, there's now a petition to have Portnow removed as the Academy's President.

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