Grammys postponed until March due to spike in coronavirus cases

The 2021 Grammy Awards ceremony has been postponed.

The award show will now take place March 14 after a recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the Los Angeles area, executives said Tuesday. 

"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," Harvey Mason Jr., chairman and interim president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement.

The message was co-signed by Jack Sussman, executive vice president of specials, music, live events and alternative programming at CBS; and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards executive producer at Fulwell 73 Productions. 

The statement continued: "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.

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"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," the statement concluded.

The Grammys were originally scheduled to take place Jan. 31 in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. 

Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the crisis in California, has surpassed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths and has seen 40% of the deaths in the state. California recently was the third state to reach 25,000 coronavirus-related deaths.

An average of six people die every hour from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, which has a quarter of the state’s 40 million residents. County health officials fear surges from gatherings during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

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"The Daily Show" host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the 2021 Grammys, where Beyoncé is the leading contender, with nine nominations.

Others scoring nominations include Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Jhené Aiko, Post Malone, Renée Zellweger, Billie Eilish and her producer-brother Finneas. First-time nominees include The Strokes, Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles and Blue Ivy Carter.

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Performers will be announced at a later date.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.