The Recording Academy, the organizers of the prestigious Grammy Awards has announced the postponement of the 2021 Grammy Awards to March this year.
This event which was originally slated for January 31st, in a statement released Tuesday evening, revealed the organizers, citing “thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear,”. They confirmed that they will stage the award show on Sunday, March 14th.
“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 Recording Academy and CBS, the network broadcasting the show, said in a statement. “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.”
A representative for Trevor Noah, who was tapped as the host for this year’s event, confirmed to Rolling Stone that he will remain the host. The postponement is coming just a day after SAG-AFTRA — the union representing actors and other industry professionals — and the Producers’ Guild recommended a “temporary hold on in-person production.”
“Southern California hospitals are facing a crisis the likes of which we have never seen before. Patients are dying in ambulances waiting for treatment because hospital emergency rooms are overwhelmed. This is not a safe environment for in-person production right now,” SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said on Monday.
Prior to the postponement, there were plans to have a limited show as only presenters and performers would be allowed on-site during the show while the audience will watch virtually.
Nominated artists are likely to receive their awards remotely similar to that of the 2020 Emmys awards.