The 64th annual Grammy Awards are finally upon us.

The 64th annual Grammy Awards are finally upon us. The ceremony was originally scheduled for Jan. 31 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, but was postponed due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The Grammys will now take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 3. This marks the first time in history that the ceremony’s location has switched host cities for a single ceremony. Last year’s host, Trevor Noah, will return as the show’s host for a second consecutive year. Leading the nominations are Jon Batiste (11), followed by Doja Cat, H.E.R. and Justin Bieber (8). Ahead of the ceremony, I picked out who I think will win and who should win in the “Big Four” categories. These categories are Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist. So, without further ado, let’s get into my predictions.

Album of the Year

“We Are,” Jon Batiste

“Love For Sale,” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

“Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),” Justin Bieber

“Planet Her (Deluxe),” Doja Cat

“Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish

“Back Of My Mind,” H.E.R

“Montero,” Lil Nas X

“SOUR,” Olivia Rodrigo

“Evermore,” Taylor Swift

“Donda,” Kanye West

Last year, Swift took home the prestigious award for a record-breaking third time for her eighth studio album “Folklore.” Swift is up for Album of the Year again for her ninth studio album “Evermore.” In a perfect world, Swift takes home the prize again, but given she doesn’t have any other nominations, it seems unlikely. 

In my mind, there’s a tie between which album should win this award, with those being “Planet Her (Deluxe)” by Doja Cat and “SOUR” by Olivia Rodrigo. Both artists saw massive commercial success, critical acclaim with their projects and had multiple successful singles that dominated the charts during the eligibility period. 

While I think Rodrigo is a safe bet for this award, I unfortunately think Doja Cat is at a disadvantage for winning as she worked with producer Dr. Luke who in recent years has been accused of sexual assault and emotional abuse. Instead, I think the previous Album of the Year winner, Billie Eilish will be Rodrigo’s main competition. Her sophomore project “Happier Than Ever” was released to critical and commercial success. While the project didn’t produce a lot of hit singles, Eilish is a Grammy favorite with seven wins already under her belt.

Will win: “Happier Than Ever” or “Sour”

Should win: “Planet Her (Deluxe)” or “Evermore”

Song of the Year

“Bad Habits,” Ed Sheeran

“A Beautiful Noise,” Alicia Keys & Brandi Carlile

“drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo

“Fight For You,” H.E.R.

“Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish

“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat feat. SZA

“Leave The Door Open,” Silk Sonic

“Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X

“Peaches,” Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon

“Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile

People often aren’t aware of the differences between Song of the Year and Record of the Year. For clarity, Song of the Year is a songwriting award, awarded to the songwriters of the nominated songs, while Record of the Year goes to the artist(s), producer(s), recording engineer(s), mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s).

Like Album of the Year, I think this award will be a battle between Eilish and Rodrigo. Personally, I think this will be an easy win for Rodrigo. Her debut single “drivers license” was a monster smash-hit single that launched her career as a music artist. Written about the multifaceted emotions Rodrigo endured after breaking up with fellow actor-artist Joshua Bassett, “drivers license” was immediately praised for its songwriting, specifically in the bridge. Keeping the same theme of a failed relationship, Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” saw the singer turn her anger towards her ex-boyfriend into an anthem for heartbroken teenagers for years to come. While I would love to see both songs take home this award, I have a hard time envisioning a winner that isn’t “drivers license.”

Will win: “Drivers License”

Should win: “Drivers License” or “Happier Than Ever”

Record of the Year

“I Still Have Faith In You,” ABBA

“Freedom,” Jon Batiste

“I Get A Kick Out Of You,” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

“Peaches,” Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon

“Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile

“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat feat. SZA

“Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish

“Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X

“drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo

“Leave The Door Open,” Silk Sonic

Like I previously mentioned, Record of the Year goes to the artist(s), producer(s), recording engineer(s), mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s). Over the years, this category has been awarded to monster hits like Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep,” but it has also been awarded to songs that might have not been commercially successful, but rather critically acclaimed like Ray Charles & Norah Jones’ “Here We Go Again.” This year, a majority of the nominations are monster hits which have created quite the competition. The two standouts I think are vying to take home this award this year are Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” and Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open.”

“drivers license” broke numerous records upon its release leading it to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it would spend eight consecutive weeks atop the chart. While on the topic of debut singles, Silk Sonic, which is a super duo composed of Bruno Mars and Anderson. Paak also saw massive success with their debut single, “Leave The Door Open” which topped the Billboard Hot 100. The song was praised for its throwback R&B instrumentation and vocals.

Although I’m a fan of both songs, I would personally like to see Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” or Doja Cat & SZA’s “Kiss Me More” take home the award. Eilish has won this award the last two years for her songs “Bad Guy” and “Everything I Wanted,” which gives me less confidence in her winning for a third consecutive year because no other solo artist has achieved the feat three consecutive wins. As for Doja Cat & SZA, it’s clear they have the support from voters, but an all-female collaboration has yet to win this category in the Grammy’s 64-year history, and I have a feeling this won’t be the year it’ll happen despite how successful “Kiss Me More” was.

Will win: “Drivers License” or “Leave The Door Open”

Should win: “Happier Than Ever” or “Kiss Me More”

Best New Artist

Arooj Aftab

Jimmie Allen

Baby Keem

FINNEAS

Glass Animals

Japanese Breakfast

The Kid Laroi

Arlo Parks

Olivia Rodrigo

Saweetie

Finally, we have Best New Artist, which is another coveted award. Some people are leery of the award, and think of it as a curse because several award winners were never able to duplicate the success they experienced in their debut year.

Unlike last year, there is an artist who is almost certain to win this award. That artist is teen breakout star, Olivia Rodrigo. Upon releasing her debut single “drivers license” at the beginning of 2021, Rodrigo saw immediate success. Her Grammy-nominated songs “drivers license” and “Good 4 U” both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ended up being two of the top ten songs of 2021. The success of the singles led to the release of Rodrigo’s debut album, “Sour,” which debuted and spent multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. The album went on to be the best-selling album by a female artist last year (second overall).

None of the other nominees had a year like Rodrigo’s. With critical acclaim, a massive debut album, four hit singles and a sold-out tour under her belt in just one year, she will most definitely be 2022’s Best New Artist.

Will win: Olivia Rodrigo

Should win: Olivia Rodrigo

This year’s nominees were voted on by Recording Academy voting members from nearly 22,000 eligible entries that were released between Sept. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021. The final round of Grammy voting took place Dec. 6, 2021–Jan. 5, 2022. The 64th awards show will be held on Sunday and will air on CBS and be streamed live and on demand on Paramount+ at 7 p.m.