By Gina Yarbrough
LOS ANGELES–Due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, the Recording Academy has postponed the Grammy Awards to March 14.
The music industry’s prestigious show was slated to broadcast January 31 on the CBS network in Los Angeles. Academy senior executives made the decision to reschedule the awards ceremony after talking to health experts.
Harvey Mason jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, Jack Sussman, executive vice president, specials, music, live events and alternative programming at CBS, and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards executive producer, Fulwell 73 Productions released a joint state on the change of schedule:
“After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be broadcast on March 14. 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.”
Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show” will host the Grammy Awards at the Staples Center. This year’s show will not include a live audience. Musical artists will be allowed to perform on stage, according to the Recording Academy.
