It’s been three years since Sam Smith has dropped an album, and I think I can say “I’m Ready” for a new album. While an album isn’t quite what fans received, Smith did drop a new song on April 16 titled “I’m Ready,” which is a collaboration between Smith and Demi Lovato. The song was actually supposed to be the first track in Smith’s upcoming third studio album originally titled “To Die For,” which was set to drop on May 1. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the singer released a statement saying that the album’s title will be changed, and its release has been postponed to June 5.

Through this song, Smith and Lovato prove that they are ready for love. Both artists have gone down the road of self-discovery and love. Within the past year, Smith publicly announced his non-binary identity, and Lovato has also been on a long road of self-love, as she is a recovering addict who suffered from a near-fatal overdose. 

When I initially listened to this song, I instantly made a connection that this song is uplifting and empowering the LGBTQ+ community. After further listening to the song a few more times and reading the lyrics, another connection I made was how this song was almost like a sequel to Lovato’s single “I Love Me,” which is about how you can’t love others until you love yourself first. 

The track starts off with a slightly mysterious vibe to it with the sync popping in the background. When the pre-chorus hits, you can hear Smith perfectly executing a run, and the chorus is very upbeat and has a very hopeful vibe to it. I initially thought that after Smith sings the chorus the first time, there was going to be a beat drop because there was a build-up. However, to my surprise, Lovato’s voice comes in instead with a hum, and she sings the second verse. The two voices sound so nice harmonizing together, with Lovato’s vocals backing up Smith’s voice, and both execute the high notes amazingly. Toward the end of the song, there’s a small interlude where just the instrumental track is playing to create a small bit of tension and a build-up before the song finishes out with Smith and Lovato singing the chorus again once more. I noticed how throughout this entire song, there are moments of build-up, but there is never a beat drop to follow it up. Even at the end, there wasn’t a final beat drop to finish the song out. Instead, the song just slowly faded into the ending.

The music video for “I’m Ready” was really interesting to watch. The theme of the music video was “Queer Olympics,” and it included a cast of LGBTQ+ performers and drag stars. Three words to sum up the music video: glitz, vibrancy and glamor. The most eye-catching part of the music video for me was probably seeing a scene of wrestlers. The plot twist: they were all wearing high heels. It really captured the theme well. To top it all off, Smith had choreography with the wrestlers. While it wasn’t anything extravagant, it’s quite rare for Smith to have choreography, so it was surprising to see a few dance moves included in the music video. I’d rate the music video a solid 9/10 and definitely recommend checking it out.

I’m glad Smith and Lovato decided to collaborate, as their voices compliment each other so well. Knowing that there’s a story and meaning behind this song for not only Smith but also Lovato makes the song seem so genuine. “I’m Ready” was also a bit different from Smith’s usual sad and somber music style as it was a pop-style dance song. While I did really enjoy this song, I’m not sure I could consider it a huge hit. It was rather just one of those pop songs I’ll listen to if I heard someone playing it, but I wouldn’t willingly listen to it myself. However, for those who enjoy pop songs that are upbeat, “I’m Ready” might be a good song suggestion for you.