In light of the new COVID-19 wave, the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards will be postponed to Mar. 14. They were set to be presented on Jan. 31, but due to the surge in coronavirus cases in California and concerns over the new mutation from Britain, The Recording Academy concluded that it would be best to push the Grammys to a later date. 

“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,” said The Recording Academy, its broadcast partner CBS, and the event’s executive producer, Ben Winston, via a statement issued on Jan. 5.

Where the new location will be is still unclear. In past years, the ceremony was held at Staples Center, which is where this year’s award ceremony had originally been scheduled to take place with no audience. It is highly likely that the Grammys will mirror other award shows’ ceremonial procedures with performances from soundstages and awards accepted remotely.  A representative for Trevor Noah of The Daily Show confirmed to Rolling Stone that he is still set to host. 

This year’s Grammy Awards ceremony was supposed to be a reset button for The Recording Academy following former president and CEO Deborah Dugan’s accusations of sexual misconduct against Neil Portnow (also a former CEO of the academy) and Joel Katz, the academy’s outside general counsel. Atop of the multiple allegations, Dugan, replaced by Harvey Mason Jr.,  further accused the academy of financial mismanagement and vote-rigging. 

The Recording Academy is no stranger to controversies. Despite its attempt to mark a new era, the academy once again raised many suspicions over its nominations. After the nominations were announced, rapper Drake took to Instagram to speak out for the Weeknd, whose album After Hours was not nominated despite it being 2020’s best selling record. 

“I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards,” said Drake. He also mentioned that the time has come to “accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after.” 

The Weeknd, who was asked to perform, called out The Recording Academy for its lack of transparency, calling it “corrupt.”

“Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!” said the Weeknd via Twitter, expressing his disbelief. 

In terms of nominations, Beyoncé is at the forefront: nine nominations in eight categories. Taylor Swift also has multiple nominations in the bag, and Dua Lipa follows closely with her hit single “Don’t Start Now.” Nominations such as BTS’s “Dynamite” and Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted” are also highly anticipated. 

Despite the pandemic and controversies, the Grammy Awards remain one of the most iconic moments of the year for the music industry. This year is no exception. 

Photo courtesy of GRAMMY.COM