Last Friday, I could barely concentrate all throughout my Blue 2 Spanish IV class and Blue 3 Physics class (sorry Sra. Paredes and Mr. Brown). No, it was not because it was a Friday near the end of the semester. Nope, what plagued my mind that morning was way more important–the nominations for the 57th Grammy Awards.

That day, as I avidly refreshed my Twitter throughout passing periods, I noticed most of my nominee predictions were correct. And while I questioned why Sia didn’t take Pharrell’s place on the Album of the Year nominees list and how U2 was still even musically relevant, I was most happy (save for one missed nomination, aka the snub of the century, but I’ll get to that later). I trust the Academy of Recording Artists and the Grammy Awards to recognize the best music, even though I may not agree with it 100 percent. However, I still have my own opinions, so here are my predictions for winners in the four major categories of the 57th Grammy Awards.

Best New Artist: Sam Smith

Last year, this was the one category I predicted correctly, so I guess you could say I have a successful track record here. While I could make a case for Bastille, Haim or Iggy Azalea to win this award, it’s pretty clear who’s really going to win. (Sorry Brandy Clark, but it’s not you.) Sam Smith, who led the nomination count with six (along with Beyonce and Pharrell), brought his soulful and beautiful voice to American music after being featured on Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” and never turned back. His most successful solo work, “Stay With Me,” became one of the songs of the summer, and his album “In The Lonely Hour” meshed pop and R&B like no other. Smith sings with power comparable to fellow British stars like Adele and Amy Winehouse (both of whom won this award in the past), and looks to replicate their success. Needless to say, nothing will stop Sam Smith from winning this award.

Record of the Year: “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith

This is where the aforementioned snub come into play. With the surprise release of her fifth, self-titled album “BEYONCE,” Beyonce made quite the impact on the music industry, and her single “Drunk In Love” featuring Jay-Z  was no exception. Nearly all major music media outlets predicted “Drunk In Love” to be nominated in this category and for Song of the Year, and many predicted it to have a straight shot at winning. Despite this, the song wasn’t even nominated for Record of the Year or Song of the Year. If you can’t yet tell, I’m still kind of mad about this.

I’m going to play by the rules here, though, and pick who I think should win out of the nominees the Recording Academy chose. In a category ruled by pop hits, like “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor, “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX and “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, two more mature records stand out–“Chandelier” by Sia and “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” by Sam Smith. Of these, “Stay With Me” is the more likely win. As I said earlier, this was one of the biggest songs of the summer and Smith has a beautiful voice. In terms of overall sound, the Darkchild version even outshines the regular version, as it adds more percussion and increases the role of the organ and gospel choir, making the song overall more soulful.

Song of the Year: “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith

What could have been the year of Beyonce is quickly turning into the year of Sam Smith. While “Stay With Me” is pretty safe against “All About That Bass” and “Shake It Off,” there are two songs–“Take Me To Church” by Hozier and “Chandelier”–that could give it a run for its money. “Stay With Me” will likely secure this win through the raw emotion Smith shows in his songwriting, both through vulnerable lyrics and amazing, unique melodies. Writing a song about being lonely isn’t easy, but Sam Smith surely did a fantastic job at it.

Album of the Year: “BEYONCE,” Beyonce

Now, you were probably certain I was gonna pick Sam Smith again. After all, if I’m slating him to win three of the Big Four, why not just give him Album of the Year too? One word: “BEYONCE.” As I said earlier in my mini rant about “Drunk In Love” being snubbed, Beyonce’s eponymous fifth album broke barriers in music. Despite having an unannounced release, it still became a No. 1 and spawned many fantastic singles and a platinum edition. In the album, Beyonce plays with themes of love, empowerment, sex and beauty to create lyrical masterpieces. With her genre-defying sound, spanning hip hop to dance, she managed to make an album full of songs you can dance to, jam to and cry to. Plus, each song had its own music video which brought it to life even further, providing further evidence of Beyonce’s creativity. If Queen Bey doesn’t win this award then, mark my words, I will never watch the Grammys ever again. (Not that I’d ever be able to give up the biggest night in music, but … you get the idea here.)

I’m excited for this year’s Grammys. Although I can’t wait to see who wins big, I also can’t wait to watch some amazing performances from music’s finest, past and present. I encourage you to watch the awards on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, but if you for some reason choose to pass up the best entertainment of the year, then check back with me on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 for a complete reaction to the night.