GRAMMY AWARDS Postponed Over COVID-19 Concerns

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards, originally scheduled for January 31, have been postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. They will now tentatively take place on March 21, 2021.

A combination of health and travel concerns is what ultimately led to the decision to postpone this year's Grammys, with the show's planned location of Los Angeles on the verge of becoming the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 7,600 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in just Los Angeles County.

The Recording Academy chairman and interim chief Harvey Mason Jr. issued the following statement:

"After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our network partner CBS, our host, and artists scheduled to appear, we have made the decision to postpone the 63rd Grammy Awards to March 21, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, where hospital services have been overwhelmed, ICUs have reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.

"We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors, and especially this year's nominees for their understanding, patience, and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times. The show will go on and we will unite and heal through music by celebrating excellence and saluting this year's outstanding nominees."

IN THIS MOMENT, BODY COUNT, CODE ORANGE and POWER TRIP are among the "Best Metal Performance" nominees at the 2021 Grammy Awards, which are due to be hosted by "The Daily Show"'s Trevor Noah. It will mark his first time hosting the awards show.

Last year, it was announced that the 63rd annual Grammys would not be delayed despite the pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

"The amount of music released has actually increased during the pandemic, so we would not want to delay our date with so much great music coming out," the Recording Academy's interim president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told Variety in June. "I also think it's important and helpful to have shows like this, when there's been so much uncertainty and unrest — to have something you know is coming around every year and to know there's a time when we all sit down together and watch great entertainment and art."

In September, Mason teased to Variety, that the upcoming ceremony is "going to be a spectacular show." "Obviously, this is a very unique year. We've been looking at all of the shows really closely and I've been talking with some of the people who put them together — the creative and also the business side," he said. "I think there have been some great examples of how to present music and awards at these shows, and I think there's some other things that we're gonna do pretty differently."

Last year, TOOL was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, which was held on January 26, 2020 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. TOOL was nominated for "7empest", a track from its 2019 album "Fear Inoculum".