The 2021 Grammy Awards will be postponed, joining other high-profile awards telecasts that have also seen their original dates affected.
Originally set for Jan. 31, the 63rd annual ceremony is being bumped to March 14 due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the Los Angeles area, where the ceremony is scheduled to take place.
Harvey Mason Jr., interim president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said that consultation with health experts, host Trevor Noah, artists slated to appear and CBS, which broadcasts the event, prompted the decision to push the Grammys back a couple of months.
“The deteriorating Covid situation in Los Angeles - where hospital services have been overwhelmed and ICUs have 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,” Mason said, while adding that “the show will go on and we will heal and unite through music.”
Prior to the postponement, the Grammys were planning a limited production, with no audience at the Staples Center and no media; only presenters and performers would be allowed on site (nominated artists were expected to receive their awards remotely, similar to the setup of the 2020 Emmy Awards).
Along with leading nominee Beyonce (with nine), Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Roddy Ricch (with six each), the list of artists vying for music’s biggest honor include a parade of Georgia acts.
Among them, the Atlanta-born sister duo of Chloe x Halle scored in three categories: best progressive R&B album (“Ungodly Hour”), best traditional R&B performance (“Wonder What She Thinks of Me”) and best R&B song (“Do It”); hip-hop star Future earned a nomination for best music video for his “Life is Good” clip with Drake; breakout rapper Lil Baby will compete for best rap performance and best rap song with “The Bigger Picture.”; Lecrae landed in the best contemporary Christian music performance/song category for “Sunday Morning” (along with Atlanta songwriter Lasanna Harris), as well as best gospel performance/song for “Come Together,” from Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents: The Good News.
Other Georgia-based artists making the list include Big Sean, Luke James and Earthgang.
