In response to the ever-growing surge in Covid cases due to the Omicron variant, the Recording Academy announced that the 2022 Grammys will be postponed.
Though a new date has yet to be confirmed, the Recording Academy and CBS-TV said, “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
Like fellow live entertainment organizers, the Recording Academy was confident in a full-scale Grammys showcase for 2022 before the new year but as the Omicron variant cases has increased to numbers not seen since before the availability of vaccines, the optics of a full-scale show have changed.
The latest shift marks the second consecutive year that the pandemic has forced the Grammys to postpone as the Academy moved their 2021 show from late January to March with a mixture of live and pre-recorded performances along with a limited crowd of Grammy nominees.
L.A. County, where the Grammys were to take place late-January, has averaged some 12,000 new confirmed Covid cases per day, the highest total that region has seen since after the holiday season last year.
Jon Batiste leads the 2021 Grammy nominations with 11, while Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and H.E.R. are all tied for second with 8 nominations. Trevor Noah was set to repeat as host after MC’ing the Grammys last year.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Katie – Flickr: IMG_1188