"I'm Ready" is a song by British singer Sam Smith and American singer Demi Lovato, released through Capitol Records on 16 April 2020. Smith and Lovato cowrote "I'm Ready" with Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, and the song's producer, Ilya Salmanzadeh. It reached the top 10 in Lebanon and the top 40 in the United States, United Kingdom, and 14 additional countries. The song appears on Smith's third studio album Love Goes (2020) and on the expanded edition of Lovato's seventh studio album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over.
Background and release
In an interview, Smith shared that they "grew up listening to" and "singing" Lovato's music, calling them an "incredible talent" and "everything [they stand] for as a human being". Thus, they revealed that they had been "training" for the moment to collaborate with Lovato for a long time. Smith also said that they had already been in contact as a friend to Lovato for years, and Lovato was invited to the studio by their mutual songwriter Savan Kotecha, which is what led to the collaboration happening.
On 9 April, Smith shared a polaroid of Smith and Lovato in the studio, captioned with "S + D 4 EVA". Smith also teased the duet on social media, tweeting "YOU READY" and tagging Lovato with a GIF that displays Smith and Lovato's initials; Lovato responded with "I'M READY". On 13 April, Smith and Lovato announced the title of the duet and its release date. During an interview with Popbuzz, Smith confirmed that "I'm Ready" was being released in promotion of their upcoming third album but might not appear on the final track listing.
Composition
Described by Smith as "2020 ABBA", "I'm Ready" is considered a pop song with disco elements. The song features an "edgy" production and gospel choirs, with dark "sultry" verses and a "bass-y" chorus. Moreover, the song incorporates a fun, synth-pop flair with dynamic vocals. Lyrically, the duet is a "feel-good love song" about "having the bravery to be vulnerable and accepting of love" and strives to be an "anthemic musical declaration that both artists are ready to find love and, more importantly, to be loved by someone who appreciates them."
Critical reception
"I'm Ready" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Raisa Bruner of Time deemed "I'm Ready" a "blazing new power anthem duet" and praised the "emotional showcase" of the two vocalists, saying that both "Smith and Lovato are on their game here". She also found that the elements of the song, including "an uplifting gospel chorus and a juicy bass section", makes for a "summer pop mash-up". Juddah Charles Lotter of MEAWW praised both the song and music video, saying "Sam Smith and Demi Lovato create magic in [the] Olympic-inspired beautifully infectious video". Lotter was particularly impressed by the vocal display in the last scene of the music video: "The final scene shows Lovato and Smith side-by-side atop a podium with some gymnasts performing nearby in a medal ceremony and the two belt out a rich simultaneous vocal performance with a choir providing the backing vocals". He went on to say that both Smith and Lovato "use their vocal gymnastics gorgeously with pitch-perfect singing and it almost feels like they kept fans waiting on the collab long enough just to see them burst into Olympic torch flame with excitement when they finally got the chance to hear it", as "they sound utterly amazing together". In 2023, Rolling Stone place the song at number 32 on its list of The 50 Most Inspirational LGBTQ Songs of All Time.
Music video
Background and release
The music video was released on 17 April 2020. It was directed by Jora Frantzis, best known for her work on the 2019 music video for Cardi B's "Money". Smith shared in an interview with The Hot Press that queer inclusivity was a main factor when creating the setting and concept behind the music video: Smith recalls how they grew up queer and experiencing bullying in "the locker room with boys" at school, and thus being incessantly "scared of" and "triggered" by sports. Smith goes on to share that being able to have a "queer Olympics" in the music video was an "amazing" and "exciting" experience, and that it bought them joy, as they enjoyed "learning to wrestle in stilettos".