The 63rd annual Grammy Awards were set to take place in Los Angeles on January 31st but in the wake of an unprecedented spike in Coronavirus cases and ICU beds at capacity throughout the region, organizers have opted to push the event back.
In a joint statement issued 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, Fulwell 73 Productions), the Grammys will now be happening tentatively in March.
“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 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 significance of the Grammys was the beginning the Hollywood Awards season. The newly rescheduled Grammys date will now conflict with the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Kicking off the awards season now will be the Golden Globe Awards, which usually happen in January but have been rescheduled to February 28th.
It's very likely that the rescheduled event will still operate the same with only host Trevor Noah, performing artists, and production staff onsite. Similar to the Emmys, there will be no audience and all nominees and award-winners will appear remotely.
Among the nominees for 'Best Metal Performance' include Body Count, Code Orange, In This Moment, Poppy, and Power Trip.
