The Grammy Awards, scheduled for January 31 in Los Angeles, USA, have been postponed until March 14 following the rapid spread of COVID-19 in California.
Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, and rap artist Roddy Ricch were among those nominated for the award while comedian Trevor Noah, who hosted the award, is still unknown whether he will still take part in this year’s ceremony.
The postponement of the 63rd annual event was announced while living less than a month before it was held, thus giving a great blow to the music industry.
“After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host, and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021,” the Recording Academy and CBS, the network broadcasting the show, said in a statement.
“The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do.”
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show. We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors, and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience, and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times,” added the statement.
According to the BBC, the organization behind the award had previously announced that this year’s edition was mostly virtual, according to the AFP news agency, although no further details were released.
Source: BBC, Rolling Stones, Variety