“So many women!” Dua Lipa said on Sunday night, scanning the crowd from the stage while accepting her Grammy for Best New Artist. “I guess we really stepped up this year.” The comment, however offhanded, was a clear reference to Recording Academy President Neil Portnow’s infamous remark at last year’s show that women in the music business should “step up” if they want to be more prominent as artists and executives — a comment that was widely derided and seen as an indicator of how out of touch the Grammys were.
In the press room after the show, Lipa elaborated on the remark. “Being in the Best New Artist category and having so many female artists nominated is a big change, and it’s a change that we hope to see for many years to come.” She added, “It’s a big difference from previous years and I feel so grateful to have been a part of the nominations and to have seen so many women on it. I was like, ‘This is amazing!’ And it felt right because these are artists I love and I felt honored to be able to share that moment with them.”
Asked about her thoughts on fellow superstar Ariana Grande not attending the show, Lipa said she believes “every artist has their own right to decide what they want to do and how they would like to perform and be perceived.”
She also spoke out about the absence of rapper 21 Savage, who was arrested by immigration officers last week and has been held under investigation since. “I think it’s quite upsetting given that he hasn’t actually done anything and he’s also given so much to American culture, even being a Brit,” Lipa said.
Lipa said that she is currently working on her next album, which is “almost done” but being kept a secret. “You’ll be hearing from me soon,” she said.