The 2022 Grammy Awards have been postponed just weeks ahead of the originally planned Jan. 31 ceremony.
The Recording Academy’s decision to indefinitely postpone the award is show due to COVID-19 concerns, which Variety first reported. The Grammys were scheduled to go ahead on Jan. 13 with a full audience at the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center, in Los Angeles.
Musicians and record label executives reportedly voiced concern about the late January date, and due to upcoming basketball and hockey games at the same venue it’s not clear when the Grammys can proceed. Typically the Grammys lock down a venue for 10 days or more, and the current schedule for the Crypto.com Arena is mostly booked through to June.
Sources for Variety said that due to logistical reasons, it’s possible that the 2022 Grammys could move to the Hollywood Bowl.
"After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th annual Grammy Awards show," reads an official statement from the Recording Academy and CBS. "The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
Trevor Noah is still set to serve as the host for the award show when it goes ahead, but a list of performers has yet to be announced. The full list of nominees was announced in November of 2021.
