New date announced for Grammy Awards

Recording Academy has announced 14 March as the new date for the 63rd Annual Grammy awards, due to concerns over the spread of COVID- 19.

The organiser, who made the announcement on its Instagram handle @recordingacademy, stated that postponing the show was the right thing to do.

“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 #GRAMMYs.

The 2021 Grammys was initially scheduled for Jan. 31 before it was postponed due to the spread of Covid-19.

The Recording Academy had earlier planned to hold the Grammys, without an audience or nominated artists, with only presenters and performing artists on-site during the show, before it was postponed.

The 2021 Grammy nominations were led by Beyoncé who picked up nine nominations.

Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, and Roddy Ricch followed with six nods each.

Nigerian singer Burna Boy got a nomination in the world music category.