The 64th Grammy awards, due to take place later this month, have been postponed due to concerns over Covid-19, it has been announced.
The Recording Academy, which is the organisation behind the awards, and CBS said pressing ahead as planned with the 2022 ceremony "simply contains too many risks".
The event, which is regarded as music's biggest night, was originally scheduled to take place on January 31st in Los Angeles.
A statement online said: “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 31st simply contains too many risks.”
The statement added that a new date for the event would be announced in due course.
Artists nominated in multiple categories this year include Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lil Nas X.
Two new categories have been announced for this year’s awards in the form of best global music performance, in the global music field, and best musica urbana album in the Latin music field.
The total number of Grammy categories now stands at 86. – PA
