Grammys Postpone 2021 Awards Due to Covid-19

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The Recording Academy has postponed the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards due to the “deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles.” The 2021 ceremony, originally scheduled for Jan. 31 at the Staples Center has been moved to March 14. In a joint statement on Jan. 5, the Recording Academy and CBS, the awards’ longtime broadcast partner, 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 statement further noted: “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 was signed by 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 of Fulwell 73 Productions.

The artists with the most nominations are led by Beyoncé with nine. She is followed by Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, and Taylor Swift, with six each, followed by Brittany Howard with five. The nominees for Best Rock Album are the rock legends Fontaines D.C., Michael Kiwanuka, Grace Potter, Sturgill Simpson, and the Strokes.

Nominees for the coveted Album of the Year are Jhené Aiko, Black Pumas, Coldplay, Jacob Collier, HAIM, Dua Lipa, Post Malone and Taylor Swift. See our story on the legendary nominees for the category from 1970-1974 here.

The complete list of this year’s nominees is here.

The awards will air March 14 on the CBS Television Network from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET/5:00–8:30 p.m. PT with Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah serving as host.

Watch Paul Simon and John Lennon present the Record of the Year in 1975