Grammys postponed to March due to COVID-19 concerns

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Updated on January 5, 2021 06:36PM EST

Music fans will have to wait a little longer to see this year's iteration of the Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy announced Tuesday that it is rescheduling the ceremony to March 14, from its planned Jan. 31 date, due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

"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," representatives for the Academy and CBS said in a statement. "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 Recording Academy interim president Harvey Mason Jr., CBS live music specials executive Jack Sussman, and Grammy Awards producer Ben Winston.

Though two different COVID-19 vaccines are starting to be administered in the United States, case numbers are reaching record highs — especially in Los Angeles, where the Grammys are typically held. On Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that California set a new single-day record for COVID-19 cases, with 74,000. "The county is now averaging 184 deaths a day over the last week — the equivalent of someone dying of COVID-19 every eight minutes — and about 13,500 cases a day, a count expected to grow because many testing sites were closed for the New Year's holiday," the paper reported.

Beyoncé leads the 2021 Grammy nominations with a total of nine, followed by Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, and Roddy Ricch, who each have six.

An earlier version of this article prematurely said the Grammys had been rescheduled to March 21, 2021.

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