The 2022 Gringo Grammys Have Been Postponed

Well, it’s official. The Recording Academy announced on Jan. 5 that the awards ceremony for the Grammys was indefinitely postponed, with no rescheduled date yet. The 2022 show has been moved back due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. 

According to Variety, “enough artists and executives voiced reluctance about appearing to convince the [Recording] Academy to postpone the show.” The event was originally slated to occur on Jan. 31 at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) in downtown Los Angeles.

In a joint statement, the Recording Academy and CBS — the network that televises the awards — said they came to the decision “after careful consideration and analysis,” citing health concerns. The statement reads, “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. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night on a future date, which will be announced soon.”

In talking with industry insiders, Variety also estimated when the ceremony would be able to happen. Some estimated April or May, but that would mean the event wouldn’t happen at the Crypto.com Arena. The publication notes that the Grammys “traditionally require a 10-day-plus lockout of the venue in which they are held,” which doesn’t seem possible according to their schedule until late June.

The nominations are stacked with incredible talent this year and we’re still excited to see who takes home the coveted prize in the categories they are nominated—especially the Latine talent who have historically been relegated to the Latin categories.

Some of the nominated Latine artists are first-timers, like Selena Gomez, who has been making music since she was 16 years old. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gomez said that she “cried like a little baby” after she found out she was nominated. Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, and C. Tangana are newer artists that have been nominated for Latin Grammy awards, but this is their first gringo Grammy nominations.

While others have either already won or been nominated in previous years are up for awards again. Like Bad Bunny, whose album YHLQMDLG won last year for Best Latin Pop Album, and is now competing in the Best Música Urbana Album category for his 2021 album El Último Tour Del Mundo. J Balvin — a controversial figure in Latine music right now, who has been nominated three times — is vying for the same 2022 prize as Benito with his album Jose.