(January 5, 2021) Variety magazine has reported that the 2021 Grammy Awards, originally scheduled for January 31, are being postponed. The Recording Academy today issued the following statement:
(January 5, 2021) Variety magazine has reported that the 2021 Grammy Awards, originally scheduled for January 31, are being postponed. The Recording Academy today issued the following statement:
"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."
Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy
Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS
Ben Winston, GRAMMY Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions
It has been a very difficult year for the world, but just as challenging for the Grammys, which have attempted to deal with health and travel concerns for the awards, as well as questions – for the zillionth time – about how nominees are chosen. Grammy head Harvey Mason, Jr. spent much of last month explaining the Grammy snub of The Weeknd, including responding to the artist’s damning social media posts. And it was less than a year ago that Mason’s predecessor, Deborah Dugan, was fired days before the show, even as the Grammy’s battled with perceptions of racial and gender diversity.
We’ll see what ultimately happens with this year’s Grammy Awards, but our guess is that it is going to involve a lot of Zoom.