The ceremony was first slated for end of January.
Grammys 2021 has reportedly been postponed because of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, Rolling Stone reported on Tuesday.
The award ceremony was originally slated for January 31, 2021, with Trevor Noah as host, albeit with some of the precautions we’ve seen from other award shows in the past year: virtual acceptance speeches, no live audience, and only presenters and performers at the actual venue (Los Angeles’s Staples Center). Variety reported that the reason for the postponement was a “combination of health and travel concerns.”
The news comes as COVID-19 cases in California have continued to increase following the holiday season. As CNN reported, the state’s seven-day average for new daily cases was 4,183 as of November 1, 2020, but by December 29, that number had risen to 31,245. As RS noted, California has continued to break single-day records for new cases, most recently on January 4, when the LA Times reported 74,000 new cases.
There’s no word yet on a confirmed new date for Grammys 2021, though Rolling Stone reported some sources have told them sometime in March. This year’s Grammy nominees include Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BTS, Roddy Ricch, Megan Thee Stallion, Phoebe Bridgers, and more.