The 64th anniversary of the Grammys is bringing many changes for 2022.
Originally set for Los Angeles on January 31st, the music award show postponed its date to April 3rd due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
“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 Jan. 31 simply contains too many risks,” the music industry group said Jan. 5, according to the nypost.com.
Due to the shift of date, the CMT awards, originally scheduled for April 3 , will be rescheduled as well.
Last year, the Grammys 2021 were also postponed from the regular January night to March 14.
The date will not be the only part of the Grammys that is changing this year. The Grammys will now be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for 2022, instead of the Crypto.com Arena, previously the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. This will be the first time the Grammys will be held in Las Vegas.
While the exact reason for this change of location is not clear, CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. commented on the adjustment in a press release.
“We are excited to take the Grammys to Las Vegas for the very first time, and to put on a world-class show,” he said. “From the moment we announced the postponement of the original show date, we have been inundated with heartfelt messages of support and solidarity from the artist community. We are humbled by their generosity and grateful for their unwavering commitment to the Grammy Awards and the Academy’s mission.”
As the new date approaches, the nominees and host have already been announced.
This year’s host will be comedian Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show.” Noah is a returning host, as he hosted for the first time for the 2020 Grammys as well as the 2021 Grammys. In the past, Noah has also been nominated for a Best Comedy Album award.
One final change the Grammys made this year was expanding their four general field categories, which include song of the year, best new artist, record of the year, and album of the year, to have ten nominees instead of the previous eight.
With 11 nominations, Jon Batiste takes the lead for the 2022 Grammys. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Batiste is an Oscar winner and a bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His album We Are, which was released earlier this year, received nominations for some of the most sought-after categories: Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
“I just was sitting there by the eighth one and I was just like to myself, I was talking to God, there’s a lesson in this for me to learn, there is something, it’s great, but there’s so much happening in my life right now and this is happening. And, there’s something in this that’s bigger than me and just adulation for me that I have to learn in this. I’m so grateful,” he said in reaction to the nominations on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
After Batiste, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R all tied for eight nominations, the second highest nomination number is Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo each with seven nominations.
These are Olivia Rodrigo’s first Grammy nominations, following her 2021 album Sour, which is nominated for Album of the year. People.com reports that if “she wins all four general field categories, she will be only the second woman and second-youngest woman to do so.” The youngest woman to ever win all four of those categories is Billie Eilish.
For Eilish, this Grammy Awards will be her third continuous year of receiving nominations for Record of the Year, for her 2021 release Happier than Ever, Song of the Year, for the title track “Happier than Ever,” and also Best Pop Solo Performance.
While there will be no live audience this year, the 2022 Grammy Awards will be live at 8 p.m. on CBS. For those who prefer streaming, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV will air the award show along with Paramount+ , which will have the show on demand.
