BREAKING: The Recording Academy Postpones Grammy Awards To March
[UPDATED: The original show date (March 21) announced by The Recording Academy has subsequently been changed by the organization to March 14 and updated in the story below.]
The Recording Academy has postponed the Grammy Awards to March 14, 2021. The show’s postponement is due to health concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday (Jan. 4), California set a new single-day record of 74,000 new cases.
The 63rd Grammy Awards were to broadcast from Los Angeles on the CBS network on Sunday, Jan. 31.
In a joint statement, Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason jr.; Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS, Jack Sussman; GRAMMY Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions, Ben Winston, 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.”
Nominees for the 63rd Grammy Awards were announced in November of 2020. Yesterday (Jan. 4) was the last day for Recording Academy members to vote for the winners. Grammy-nominated comedian Trevor Noah was slated to be the host of the 2021 Grammys, but it is unclear if he will still host this year’s show.
