Culture
06 Jan 21

Grammy Awards postponed until March due to Covid-19 surge in LA

Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa led the nominations for this years awards, which were announced in November.

The 2021 Grammy Awards are being postponed until March 14th due to coronavirus-related concerns in Los Angeles.

The show, which is to be hosted by The Daily Show comedian Trevor Noah, was originally scheduled for January 31st.

“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,” a statement reads.

“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," the statement, signed by CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr., adds.

"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.”

Mason commented late in November that the Grammys were looking at other shows for ideas, but “It’s gonna be a show that’s different from the other awards shows that have happened at this point,” he said.

The Grammys' new date clashes with the previously-announced Screen Actors' Guild awards. The actors union said it was "extremely disappointed" by the scheduling conflict.

Other major ceremonies, including the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Brit Awards have already been postponed.

The US state of California has been particularly hard hit by the spread of coronavirus, with ambulance workers in Los Angeles County being told not to transport patients with extremely low chances of survival to hospital.

After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd #GRAMMYs to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021.

More details: https://t.co/JyrHZ7JpQi pic.twitter.com/MoZLLoEEgx

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) January 5, 2021