Covid surge postpones Grammys for second consecutive year

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The Grammys have been postponed for the second year, according to a joint statement from CBS and the Recording Academy. 

As the Omicron variant has sent cases skyrocketing, the event has been postponed with a new date yet to be announced. 

The statement read that 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.”

Bandleader Jon Batiste has received 11 Grammy nominations so far, topping the list of nominations along with Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and Doja Cat.

The organization behind the awards changed the nominating system in November, just 24 hours before the nominations were released, increasing the number of positions on the ballot in the top four categories — album, record, and song of the year, as well as best new artist — from eight to ten, benefiting Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Lil Nas X, and others.

The Grammys are set to take place in the former downtown Los Angeles Staples Center, now called Crypto.com Arena. 

Estimates indicate that the newest wave of the epidemic will peak in the US by the end of January.

Although the 2021 event was acclaimed due to new performance concepts, ratings dropped 53 percent with only 8.8 million viewers tuning in to watch, a record low for the Grammys.