Mumbai: The 2022 Grammy Awards have been postponed indefinitely, weeks before the planned Los Angeles ceremony over what organisers called “too many risks” from the Omicron variant.
The Recording Academy on Wednesday said it made the decision to postpone the ceremony “after careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners. Given the uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks.”
The attempt at a back-to-normal show had been scheduled for 31 January at the newly renamed Crypto.com Arena with a live audience and performances, but no new date is on the books.
Jon Batiste is the leading nominee for this year’s honours, grabbing 11 nods in a variety of genres including R&B, jazz, American roots music, classical and music video. Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. are tied for the second-most nominations with eight apiece.
The Grammys move could be the beginning of another round of award-show rescheduling after another winter coronavirus surge, with the Screen Actors Guild Awards planned for February and the Academy Awards for March. The announcement was made around the same time the Sundance Film Festival cancelled its in-person programming set to begin on 20 January and shifted to an online format.
Last year, like most major awards shows in early 2021, the Grammys were postponed due to coronavirus concerns. The show was moved from late January to mid-March and held with a spare audience made up of mostly nominees and their guests in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center, next door to its usual home, the arena then known as Staples Center.
It was a big night for Beyonce and Taylor Swift, but the live performances that set the Grammys apart from other awards shows were set separately with no significant crowds, many of them pre-taped.
“We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon,” the academy statement said.
With two professional basketball teams and a hockey team occupying the arena, finding that date could be complicated. The Recording Academy made no mention of a possible venue change in its statement.
