Organizers for the 2021 Grammys have delayed the forthcoming awards show over concerns of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles and California overall.
Multiple outlets previously reported the news, with sources telling Rolling Stone that the event, which was supposed to be held on Jan. 31, would perhaps be rescheduled for March. The event will now take place on March 14.
In a joint statement shared with Complex, Harvey Mason Jr. (Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy), Jack Sussman (Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events, and Alternative Programming, CBS), and Ben Winston (Grammy Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions) said:
"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 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."
The Grammys were already set to have a limited show, abstaining from having an audience and only permitting presenters and performers to appear in person. Artists who were nominated weren’t allowed at the event either, with the Grammys likely going the route of the 2020 Emmys, where nominees received their awards remotely. Beyoncé picked up nine nominations in November, while Dupa Lipa, Taylor Swift, and Roddy Ricch each picked up six. It’s unknown at this point if Trevor Noah is still slated to host the event.
California has seen a major uptick in cases since Thanksgiving and the holiday season, hitting a new single-day record on Jan. 4 with 74,000 cases.
But back in June, Recording Academy chair and interim president/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. was sure the show would go on, but that it would just look a bit different this year. “Our current plan is to hold [Jan. 31] as our date for the show,” he said, per Billboard. “We’ll make a determination as we get closer as to what type of show we’ll have, whether it’s a traditional live show with an audience or minus an audience, or maybe there’s a third or fourth option. We are developing all of them simultaneously so that when we have to make a decision, we are not behind in our planning.”
