Grammy Awards 2021 pushed back to March after a surge in Covid cases in Los Angeles

Organisers of the awards ceremony, set to be hosted by Trevor Noah, announced the postponement on Tuesday

The Recording Academy said on Tuesday that the annual show would shift from its original January 31 broadcast to March 14. AP

The 2021 Grammy Awards will no longer take place this month in Los Angeles and will instead be broadcast in March owing to a recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the city.

The Recording Academy said on Tuesday that the annual show would shift from its original , January 31 broadcast to March 14.

The Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the 2021 Grammys, where Beyonce is a leading contender with nine nominations. She scored nominations for Song and Record of the Year with Black Parade, which she released on Juneteenth (June 19, which commemorates the end of slavery in the US), while Savage – her chart-topping collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion – picked up bids for Record of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.

Beyonce's Black Is King, which aired on Disney+, is nominated for Best Music Film while Brown Skin Girl is nominated for Best Music Video. Her daughter Blue Ivy Carter sings on the track and also earned a Grammy nomination.

Others in the running for an award include Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Jhene Aiko, Post Malone, Renee Zellweger, Billie Eilish and her producer-brother Finneas. First-time nominees include The Strokes, Megan Thee Stallion and Harry Styles. First-time nominees include The Strokes, Megan Thee Stallion and Harry Styles.

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Since the pandemic, a number of awards show were postponed and later revamped owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Bet Awards was the first major awards show held during the pandemic and was a success thanks to its artsy, highly produced, well-crafted pre-taped performances. The MTV Video Music Awards featured Lady Gaga winning awards and performing onsite in a mask, and the Latin Grammys pre-taped several performances the week of the show, handing out some of its awards to the winners who attended.

Performers at the 2021 Grammys will be announced at a later date.

The Grammys will be held in Los Angeles at the Staples Centre. Los Angeles County, the epicentre of the crisis in California, has surpassed 10,000 Covid-19 deaths, accounting for 40 per cent of the deaths in California.