THE 64th Grammy Awards set to take place later this month on January 31st has been abruptly cancelled as Covid-19 cases skyrocket in the US.
It will be the second year in a row that the ceremony has been pushed back, with a new date for the rescheduled event set to be announced soon.
The Recording Academy cited the Omicron variant as the cause for a surge in cases nationwide, saying: “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.”
The US recorded more than 1 million new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday – a daily record since the pandemic began. The UK is also reporting daily record case numbers as a wave of cancellations sweep the two countries.
The awards will still take place, so the likes of Jon Batiste, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X who are tipped to win big will still be in with a chance of taking home an award.
K-pop supergroup BTS announced on Thursday they will be cancelling their plans to return to the US as the Grammys were the main reason for their trip. The group were up for Best Pop Duo Or Group Performance for their summer hit Butter.
The full statement from the Recording Academy reads: “After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show.
“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 31 simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
The news comes as the Omicron variant has also led to the scaling-down of the 2022 Golden Globes set to take place on January 10th. The ceremony will feature no red carpet, no stars, and no audience after a combination of rising Covid-19 cases and a Hollywood boycott due to a lack of diversity.
The awards will also not be televised, and it is unclear at this stage whether it will happen via a livestream or on social media.