We still have a few solid weeks left of 2014, and it's pretty safe to say at this juncture that if someone were to win this year, it would be Sam Smith. I mean, he basically went from zero (as in not that famous, not like a zero of a human being) to Bey (as in hanging with the QUEEN) in less than 12 months.

What did you do this year? Figured out how to use Snapchat? You're cute.

As 2014 drags itself toward the horizon -- and we prep for the MTV EMAs (Sam has four nominations), which air Sunday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. ET -- let's break down what's made 2014 so momentous for Mr. Smith and see exactly why he earned his noms.

1. He Played 'Saturday Night Live' -- Before His Album Even Came Out

Back in March 2014, before his album, In The Lonely Hour, dropped, a former British bartender named Sam Smith appeared on "Saturday Night Live." You know, that performance spot coveted by even the most seasoned of performers.

“I’m really excited to do it; ['Saturday Night Live'] is something I watch religiously back home,” he told MTV News at the time. “I'm a little bit scared, because I haven't got my album out at all, so people don’t really know who I am, which I think is really quite different for ‘SNL.’

At that point in the U.S., Smith's most buzzed-about release was his feature on Disclosure's "Latch," which came out in America around the same time as his "SNL" appearance and soon blew up -- much like Smith's popularity.

2. He Had A Chart-Topping Hit...

Once Smith's album -- which is all about unrequited love -- did come out in May of 2014, it had the velocity of a bottle rocket. His heartbreaking stunner, "Stay With Me," peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 25 weeks. Well, he asked us to stay with him, after all...

3. A Hit That People REALLY Love To Cover

Everyone knows you don't have a hit until people start copying you. Everyone from Ed Sheeran to FKA twigs has taken a crack at "Stay With Me," spreading the joy -- or, rather, tears -- of the jam across the music world.

4. He Landed The Cover Of The Fader

Once you hit it big, everyone wants to know your business -- especially if you've penned an album about how no one has ever loved you back (we feel ya, Sam).

Smith didn't so much "come out" in an in-depth interview with The Fader as simply speak eloquently about an unrequited love who happened to be a man. "In the Lonely Hour is about a guy that I fell in love with last year, and he didn’t love me back. I think I’m over it now, but I was in a very dark place," he told the publication.

5. He Performed At The 2014 VMAs

To say Sam Smith owned the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards with his gut-wrenching, emotionally charged performance is an understatement. He lives there now. In the memory of the night. He will grow crops there. Put up shelves. Start a family. Name the whole damn thing after himself.

Yup, his performance of "Stay With Me" brought the house down -- without bringing it down (even though there was crying).

6. He Also Met Queen Bey

Smith didn't win a VMA -- but he did win a photo with Beyoncé herself. Frame that snap, Bey; it's going to be worth something some day.

7. He's Nominated For A Ton Of EMAs!

The "Lay Me Down" singer has another chance to score some awards from MTV this year, as he's nominated for four -- count 'em, four! -- MTV EMAs. Let's peruse them, shall we? There's Best Song for "Stay With Me," Best New, Best Push, and Best UK and Ireland Act.

The rest of Smith's year is up to you, guys! If you want him to have an even BIGGER 12 months, head on over to the EMA site and vote your fingers off!