The Grammy awards celebrating music slated for January 31 in Los Angeles have been postponed due to COVID-19, which has been rapidly spreading in California, US media said Tuesday.
The 63rd annual ceremony’s delay comes less than four weeks before it was set to take place in the shadow of the pandemic that has dealt devastating blows to the music industry.
The Recording Academy did not respond to multiple AFP inquiries. The organization had said the show set for late January would be mostly virtual, but had not released specific plans.
Rolling Stone, which broke the news, reported that the ceremony’s organizers are aiming to reschedule for March.
Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and rapper Roddy Rich are the top nominees at the normally star-studded gala. Comedian Trevor Noah was set to host the 2021 show.
The nominations were rolled out by stars across the globe speaking via video chat. Other awards shows, like the Emmys and the Latin Grammys, have been forced to go partially or fully virtual in light of pandemic restrictions on large gatherings.
Los Angeles is now among the centers of the coronavirus pandemic, with hospitals reeling from record cases and residents under a stay-at-home order.
The southern California surge follows Thanksgiving and the holiday season, with reports of oxygen rationing and patients forced to spend hours waiting in ambulances for beds to open.