- We are known as an industry that has had monumental problems with gender issues for a long time. This is a major restructuring, ”Deborah Dugan, who is the new head of the organization behind the gala, told NPR.
Dugan took over the job after Neil Portnow, who resigned last year after being criticized for a statement about female musicians. At the Gala 2018, he replied that women must "step up" (about "get in the collar") on the question of why no more women are being awarded awards.
Last year, a working group was started with the mission to increase Grammy's diversity. 18 measures were proposed and 17 of them are now to be implemented. Among other things, they want to double the number of women in the jury groups by 2025. Today, only 22 per cent of those who vote are women.
- Music is changing what young people want to become and what they want to listen to. And if they see female artists and people who look like they make music themselves and get nominated for Grammy Awards, then it will have consequences for our entire culture. It's huge, says Deborah Dugan.
The Grammy Gala takes place on January 26.