"I'm Ready" is a song by British singer
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
and American singer
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
, released through
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
on 16 April 2020. Smith and Lovato co-wrote "I'm Ready" with
Savan Kotecha
Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian ( Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', fo ...
,
Peter Svensson
Anders Peter Svensson is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band the Cardigans.
He started playing guitar at the age of eight, and in his teens he went on to play with local bands ...
, and the song's producer,
Ilya Salmanzadeh
Ilya Salmanzadeh (; born 19 September 1986 in Stockholm), known mononymously as ILYA, is a Swedish-Persian songwriter, producer and singer. He rose to prominence outside of Sweden after co-writing and producing Ariana Grande's " Problem" and Je ...
. It reached the top 20 in Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland, and the United Kingdom as well as the top 30 in Australia, Canada, Croatia, Lithuania, New Zealand, and Singapore. The song appears on Smith's third studio album ''
Love Goes
''Love Goes'' is the third studio album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith. It was released on 30 October 2020 through Capitol Records. The album serves as a follow up to Smith's second studio album '' The Thrill of It All'' (2017). The ...
'' (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
hey standfor 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
Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian ( Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', fo ...
, 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
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...
", "I'm Ready" is considered a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
song with
disco elements. The song features an "edgy" production and gospel choirs, with dark "sultry" verses and a "
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gu ...
-y" chorus. Moreover, the song incorporates a fun,
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
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
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. Raisa Bruner of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' 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
he 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
The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olymp ...
flame with excitement when they finally got the chance to hear it", as "they sound utterly amazing together".
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
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...
's "
Money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money ar ...
". 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".
In the behind-the-scenes video released on 7 May 2020, director Jora Frantzis describes her thought process regarding the creation of the music video: she says "when I hear music that's as powerful and as big as this song is, I automatically envision motion and energy".
As such, she wanted to do something that was "sports-related" but still tie it back to "what Smith represents", as Sam noted that for "the gay community, sports was always kind of a traumatizing experience in high school".
She noted that "Sam thought it would be very empowering to kinda take over high school sports in the way that we did, almost like taking the power back."
At the end of shooting the music video, Smith proclaimed to Lovato "I think we've actually made the gayest video of all time," to which Lovato laughed and agreed with a cheerful "Yes!"
Prior to the video's release, Smith and Lovato hopped on a video chat to reminisce about writing the song together. During this video chat, Smith and Lovato joked that the "I'm Ready" video is the "Queer Olympics" the world needs right now.
"There was so much love in that place and so many beautiful people," Smith said about the video shoot, with Lovato agreeing, "Yes, beautiful people that were so talented."
Synopsis
The music video opens on Smith circling a man on the wrestling mat, as they sing about "waiting patiently for a beautiful lover" and vowing to "take that risk tonight" with someone new. As the instrumental approaches the bridge of the song, Smith lines up for a 100-meter sprint—they and their equally glam competitors dash off in sky-high stilettos, voluminous skirts, and impeccably applied makeup. These competitors include queer artists and drag queens
Valentina,
Gigi Goode
Gigi Goode (born December 2, 1997) is an American drag queen and reality television personality known for being a runner-up on the twelfth season of the drag competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race''. Following her appearance on ''Drag Race'' ...
, Dee TrannyBear,
Alok Vaid-Menon
Alok Vaid-Menon (born July 1, 1991) is an American writer, performance artist, and media personality who performs under the moniker ALOK. Alok is gender non-conforming and transfeminine, and uses the singular ''they'' third person pronouns.
...
,
Shea Diamond
ShaGasyia "Shea" Diamond (born March 17, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, and transgender rights activist. Her music is chiefly soul and R&B, and includes elements of blues, rock, hip-hop and folk. Her songwriting ability has been des ...
and Jeffrey C. Williams.
The second verse of the song is taken over by Lovato; they hold court on a tall diving board, rocking a sophisticated black suit and appearing androgynous in style and mannerisms, as a queer all-male synchronized swim team near them on the diving board dive into the pool below them. Later on, Smith dances in high heels in their wrestling suit with their competitor wrestlers dancing alongside them. The choreography was coordinated by choreographer Sean Bankhead. Lovato and Smith eventually come together for the song's climax, which takes them to a gymnast-filled medal ceremony.
Critical reception
The Hot Press says that the music video "sees the cast redefine sports in beautiful, artistic, unapologetically queer ways."
The way in which the "wrestlers and swimmers don sparkling, glittery outfits, corsets and sky-high stilettos", as well as the flow of the music video, in which "wrestling turns into dancing" and running "into a rainbow display", were elements that were particularly noted as impressive and empowering.
Rory Gory and Shane Michael Singh from The Trevor Project applauded Smith for their dedication toward promoting and celebrating the LGBTQ community: "We actually have LGBTQ people behind the scenes, in front of the camera, creating the content themselves. That's when it feels really authentic and real," Gory said.
Credits and personnel
Song
Credits adapted from
Tidal.
*
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
– songwriting, vocals, backing vocals
*
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
– songwriting, vocals
*
Ilya
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, or Ilija (russian: Илья́, Il'ja, , or russian: Илия́, Ilija, ; uk, Ілля́, Illia, ; be, Ілья́, Iĺja ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/ Jah ...
–
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
, songwriting, bass guitar, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion,
programming
*
Peter Svensson
Anders Peter Svensson is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band the Cardigans.
He started playing guitar at the age of eight, and in his teens he went on to play with local bands ...
– songwriting
*
Savan Kotecha
Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian ( Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', fo ...
– songwriting
* Wojtek Goral –
alto saxophone
* David Bukovinszky –
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
*
Johan Carlsson – piano
* Mattias Bylund –
strings,
string arrangement, choir arrangement, engineering
* Tomas Jonsson –
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
* Peter Noos Johansson – trombone
* Janne Bjerger – trumpet
* Magnus Johansson – trumpet
* Anneli Axon – background vocals
* Johanna S Jonasson – background vocals
* Anna Bylund – background vocals
* Mattias Johansson – violin
* John Hanes –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
,
studio personnel
* Sam Holland – engineering, studio personnel
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attende ...
–
mixing, studio personnel
* Randy Merrill –
mastering, studio personnel
Music video
Credits adapted from YouTube.
* Jora Frantzis – director
* PRETTYBIRD – producer
* Kevin Kloecker – video commissioner
* Candice Dragonas – VP / executive producer
* Chris Clavadetscher – executive producer
* Rob Witt – director of photography
* Sean Bankhead – choreographer
* Rika Osenberg – head of production
* Autumn Hymes – line producer
* Kenia Gutierrez – production supervisor
* Adam Winder – stylist (Sam Smith)
* Sienree Du – hair and makeup (Sam Smith)
* Siena Montesano – stylist (Demi Lovato)
* Paul Norton – hair (Demi Lovato)
* Rokael Lizama – makeup (Demi Lovato)
Charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2020 singles
2020 songs
Sam Smith (singer) songs
Demi Lovato songs
Songs written by Sam Smith (singer)
Songs written by Demi Lovato
British pop songs
American pop songs
Songs written by Ilya Salmanzadeh
Songs written by Savan Kotecha
Songs written by Peter Svensson
Song recordings produced by Ilya Salmanzadeh
American dance-pop songs
British dance-pop songs
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry