Lorde's thank-you to Kiwi fans: Grammy nomination 'belongs to you'

Letter from Lorde aka Ella Yelich O'Connor to her music fans.

Lorde has penned a thank-you note to her Kiwi fans, saying her Grammy nomination "belongs to you".

The handwritten note appeared as a full-page advertisement in Wednesday's New Zealand Herald, booked through her record label Universal Music.

Penned in New York City, where she attended the Grammy Awards on Monday, the letter featured several doodled shoutouts to fellow Kiwi musicians, including Aldous Harding, Ladi6 and Bic Runga.

The Kiwi singer, who was up for Album of the Year for her critically acclaimed album Melodrama, said she "saw a lot of crazy and wonderful things" at the awards.

"I just wanted to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for loving and embracing Melodrama the way you did. My nomination belongs to you.

"Thank you, also, for believing in female musicians. You set a beautiful precedent!"

The star took her younger brother, Angelo, to the awards.

Lorde attended the Grammy Awards with her younger brother Angelo. Photo / Getty Images

Her letter alludes to criticism lodged against the 2018 Grammys for failing to recognise female artists, with Alessia Cara the only woman to win a major award for best new artist.

The controversy was further stoked when Grammys boss Neil Portnow told reporters backstage that women needed to "step up".

"It has to begin with… 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," he said. "[They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome."

Lorde's letter to her fans.

Bruno Mars was the big winner of the night, winning six Grammys including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

It's not the first time Lorde has sent the nation a thank you note. In 2014, she shared a handwritten letter with The New Zealand Herald, celebrating her momentous Grammy night, when she took home Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her debut single Royals.

At the time she wrote: "Holy crap. It was a crazy day and my friends and family over here are still freaking out... Without your support, there's no way I would ever have gotten to stand in the middle of the Staples Centre and perform in my school shoes."