Recording Academy Postpones 2021 GRAMMY Awards Due to COVID-19
Another awards show has been affected by COVID.
Updated 1/6/2021: The Recording Academy confirms reports that this year’s GRAMMY Awards celebration has been postponed from its original date of January 31 to March 14, 2021. A joint statement from Harvey Mason Jr., Chair & 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, was posted to the Academy’s website late Tuesday afternoon (1/5).
“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 statement read. “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 statement did not include information about whether Trevor Noah would still serve as the show’s host and if the show would have any in-person elements. Sounds Like Nashville will continue to monitor this story and update as needed.
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According to reports from Rolling Stone, The Recording Academy has decided to postpone the 2021 GRAMMY Awards due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The outlet reports that organizers are eying a March date, but have not yet confirmed the change. A rep for the GRAMMYs reportedly also confirmed the news to Variety.
Rolling Stone shares that the 2021 ceremony was slated to be a limited one, with no live audience and only the presenters and performers allowed on-site. Nominated artists likely wouldn’t be allowed at the ceremony, opting to keep the show similar to the Emmys where they only appeared virtually to accept awards. It has yet to be revealed if Trevor Noah will still host the year’s celebration.
According to The Los Angeles Times, COVID-19 cases continue to surge in California after the holiday season, with a new single-day record of 74,000 new cases on January 4th. In the Los Angeles County alone, hospitals are stretched so much that patients are having to wait for hours in ambulances until hospital beds open up.
Nominations for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards were revealed in November, with final voting closing yesterday (1/4). Mickey Guyton made history, becoming the first black female to be nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.
The GRAMMY Awards were scheduled for January 31. We will update this story as it develops.
