2022 Grammy Awards postponed due to COVID-19

The 2022 Grammy Awards have been postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 and the "uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant,"organizers said Wednesday.

"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 64thAnnual GRAMMY Awards Show," reads a statement from the Grammywebsite.

"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 ceremony had been scheduled to take place Jan. 31 in Los Angeles with a live audience and multiple performances.The cancellation, which was rumoured days in advance, could push the show back to mid-June or even later, Variety reported. Organizers usually require at least a 10-day lockout of the venue to prepare for the show. This year the awards were totake place at Los Angeles'sCrypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center).

According to the arena's schedule, there will not be another such opening until midway through the year.

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Oscar nominations this year are more diverse than they've ever been, featuring nine actors of colour and two women up for best director. But low ratings for both the Golden Globes and the Grammys have raised questions about the relevance of awards shows.

The decision was announced around the same time the Sundance Film Festival cancelled its in-person programming, which wasset to begin on Jan. 20, and shifted to an online format.

It also follows a difficult year for the awards and awards shows in general. Ratings for the Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmys have been dropping for years, atrend that has accelerated duringthe pandemic.

Furthermore, after the Grammys received widespread criticism for snubbing artist The Weekndin 2021, organizers were forced to overhaul their nomination process andremovenomination review committees groups that determined the contenders for key awards at the coveted music show.

Producers for the 2022 show were also required torecruit and hire more diverse candidates, both backstage and in front of the camera.

The multitalented 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.