Predictions for the 2017 Grammy Awards nominees and winners

Nominations

Beyonce - Lemonade
David Bowie - Blackstar
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker
Sia - This Is Acting
Adele - 25

Winner: Blackstar

It's an easy choice, here. Though 2016 has been an amazing year for music, with tons of albums that are solid from front to back, it would be really surprising if Bowie's epic final album does not take home top honors.

Nominations

DNCE - Cake by the Ocean

The Chainsmokers (Feat. Halsey) - Closer

Sia (Feat. Sean Paul) - Cheap Thrills

The Weeknd (Feat. Daft Punk) - Starboy

Beyonce - Formation

Winner: Starboy

For those of you who are always as confused as me as to the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year, Record of the Year puts more of an emphasis on the production aspect of the song. Given this focus, The Weeknd and Daft Punk's new single Starboy has a decent chance at taking home the prize.

Nominations

DNCE - Cake by the Ocean

Twenty One Pilots - Heathens

Kanye West - Famous

Sia (Feat. Sean Paul) - Cheap Thrills

Beyonce - Formation

Winner: Formation

No matter who ends up winning the award when the Grammy Awards roll around, Formation — really and truly — is and was the song of 2016. We'd be surprised if it doesn't win.

Nominations

Chance the Rapper

The Chainsmokers

Twenty One Pilots

DNCE

The Weeknd

Winner: The Weeknd

If the Grammy Awards are going to continue the time-honored tradition of awarding "Best New Artist" to a musician who has been around for years and already has a huge following, The Weeknd is the only choice — though I'd love to see the award go to Chance the Rapper for the same reasons.

Nominations

Sia - Alive

Olly Murs - You Don't Know Love

Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop the Feeling

Meghan Trainor - Me Too

Bruno Mars - 24K Magic

Winner: 24K Magic

A lot of heavy hitters here, but Bruno Mars should come out on top in a close race on the strength of his new pop anthem.

Nominations

DNCE - Cake by the Ocean

The Chainsmokers (Feat. Halsey) - Closer

Ariana Grande (Feat. Nicki Minaj) - Side to Side

Calvin Harris (Feat. Rihanna) - This Is What You Came For

The Weeknd (Feat. Daft Punk) - Starboy

Winner: Starboy

Another win for Abel Tesfaye and the robots. The Starboy single was enough to galvanize fans to come out in droves to support The Weeknd's new tour, and that speaks to the strength of the song.

Nominations

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

Sia - This Is Acting

Meghan Trainor - Thank You

Adele - 25

Lady Gaga - Joanne

ZAYN - Mind of Mine

Winner: 25

In a year that would likely see posthumous honors for David Bowie, a best pop/vocal album award for Adele's 25 seems to make sense, and would match her previous pop/vocal win for her 2012 album 21.

Nominees

Justice - Safe and Sound

M83 (Feat. Mai Lan) - Go!

Calvin Harris - My Way

The Chainsmokers (Feat. Halsey) - Closer

Calvin Harris (Feat. Rihanna) - This Is What You Came For

Winner: This Is What You Came For

As much as I'd love the award to go to Go! or Safe and Sound — which are, in my opinion, the best two songs of the year in the genre — it won't. This Is What You Came For is everywhere and will take home the award for Best Dance Recording this year.

Nominations

Twenty One Pilots - Heathens

David Bowie - Lazarus

Green Day - Still Breathing

David Bowie - Blackstar

Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker

Winner: Lazarus

This is going to be a highly competitive category and will likely boil down to a showdown between two dearly departed legends, Bowie and Cohen. I think Bowie will take this category by a nose.

Nominations

Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial

David Bowie - Blackstar

Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface

Winner: Blackstar

If I'm right that Bowie will win Album of the Year for his final studio album, he will posthumously win a slew of other awards as well, including Best Rock Album.

Nominations 

Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker

David Bowie - Blackstar

David Bowie - Lazarus

Twenty One Pilots - Heathens

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dark Necessities

Winner: You Want It Darker

If the Grammy Awards want to honor both Cohen and Bowie with awards in the rock category, they'll probably split the awards for best song and best performance. Personally, I think that Bowie will take the best song category and Cohen's You Want It Darker will take the best performance category, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were swapped either.

Nominations

The Weeknd (Feat. Daft Punk) - Starboy

Drake (Feat. WizKid & Kyla) - One Dance

Solange - Cranes in the Sky

Rihanna - Love on the Brain

John Legend - Love Me Now

Winner: One Dance

Sure, The Weeknd will come home with a whole bunch of awards this year, but the fact of the matter is One Dance is a better R&B song than Starboy is. It's a better fit for the award and the genre.

Nominations

Frank Ocean - Blonde

Beyonce - Lemonade

Solange - A Seat at the Table

Rihanna - Anti

Drake - Views

Winner: Lemonade

This is probably the easiest pick to make, especially since Frank Ocean didn't even submit Blonde for consideration. Blonde wouldn't have won the award if he had, of course, but the race would have been a bit tighter. 

Nominations

Rae Sremmurd (Feat. Gucci Mane) - Black Beatles

D.R.A.M. (Feat. Lil Yachty) - Broccoli

Drake - Fake Love

Kanye West (Feat. Kid Cudi) - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1

Future (Feat. Drake) - Used to This

Winner: Broccoli

Though the field for Best New Artist this year is a strong one, it's a shame that neither D.R.A.M. nor Lil Yachty seems likely to make the cut. Broccoli is a great song,and should take home the award for Best Rap Song over tracks by more established artists.

Nominations

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered

Drake - Views

De La Soul - And the Anonymous Nobody

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service

Winner: Views

It's been a great year for rap music, and though the field will likely include two incredibly strong albums from legends of the genre, the magnitude of Drake's status in the game is probably too hard for voters to ignore.

Nominations

Rae Sremmurd (Feat. Gucci Mane) - Black Beatles

D.R.A.M. (Feat. Lil Yachty) - Broccoli

Drake - Fake Love

Kanye West (Feat. Kid Cudi) - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1

Future (Feat. Drake) - Used to This

Winner: Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1

The field here should look identical to the one for Best Rap Song, but once production is taken into account, Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 will win this award handily.

Nominations

Maren Morris - 80s Mercedes

Florida Georgia Line - H.O.L.Y.

Kenny Chesney (Feat. P!nk) - Setting the World on Fire

Miranda Lambert - Vice

Cole Swindell - Middle of a Memory

Winner: Vice

This is another strong category, and that's even before you take into account the fact that Sturgill Simpson won't be nominated in the category even though he should be. Vice, however, is the strongest of the bunch this year.

Nominations

Keith Urban - Ripcord

Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth

Miranda Lambert - The Weight of These Wings

Kenny Chesney - Cosmic Hallelujah

Dierks Bentley - Black

Winner: The Weight of These Wings

As much as I'd love to think that Sturgill Simpson will be rewarded for creating an amazing, must-listen country album, one that is, in my opinion, the best of the year, there's little chance he'll win here. Given that fact, Miranda Lambert will probably win this award, since her album is the second strongest.

Nominations

Fiddler on the Roof (2016 Broadway Cast Recording)

Waitress

Paramour

Dear Evan Hansen

A Bronx Tale

Winner: A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale's wonderful soundtrack isn't Hamilton's, to be sure, but it's the closest thing we have this year. I'd be very surprised if it doesn't pick up top honors in its genre — even though the cast recording isn't even out yet.

Nominations

Kanye West - Famous

David Bowie - Lazarus

Beyonce - Formation

Chance the Rapper (Feat. Saba) - Angels

Rihanna (Feat. Drake) - Work

Winner: Formation

This is going to be the most hotly contested category this year, in our opinion. And though Bowie's beautiful video for Lazarus and Kanye West's controversial video for Famous would be more than worthy to take home the award in any other year, Formation's video is just so striking and so well put together that it'll end up winning.