© Provided by Entertainment WeeklyKurt Krieger/Corbis via Getty Images
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 21, 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 Grammy Awards to March 21, 2021," representatives of the Academy and CBS said in a joint 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."
© Kurt Krieger/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe Recording Academy has announced that the 2021 Grammys are being pushed back two months due to staggering COVID-19 numbers.
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.
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