Culture
19 Jan 22

Grammy Awards postponed and relocated to Las Vegas

The 64th annual Grammy awards will now be held on April 3, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

After being postponed by the pandemic, the 64th annual Grammy Awards ceremony has been rescheduled for April 3, and moved to Las Vegas.

Due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, the show's organisers searched for a location that could accommodate the music industry's biggest night. The ceremony will now be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"We are excited to take the Grammys to Las Vegas for the very first time, and to put on a world-class show," Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. "From the moment we announced the postponement of the original show date, we have been inundated with heartfelt messages of support and solidarity from the artist community."

"We appreciate the leadership CBS and our production partners at Fulwell 73 have shown during these challenging weeks and the flexibility of everyone who worked toward this solution."

Trevor Noah, from the satirical late night talkshow, The Daily Show, will return to host the awards for the second time.

With eleven nominations, musician and Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste leads the nominees.

The other top nominees include Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and Doja Cat. You can see a full list of nominees here.

Some details of the event have yet to be determined, such as parties, performances, and charity events that lead up to the night. The Recording Academy scheduled a tribute to Joni Mitchell for its charity MusiCares, featuring artists James Taylor, Herbie Hancock, and Brandi Carlile.

Other changes to the event this year include the nominating process.

The nominations for the general and genre categories will now be voted on by a majority of the members rather than an anonymous group within the Academy.

Many A-list stars argued for this change following criticism that artists of colour were not being considered for the more prestigious categories.

Last year, the Grammys were postponed for six weeks and took place largely outdoors in Los Angeles. The reviews of the event were strong, but ratings fell by 53 percent, a new low for the Grammys.