Songfacts®:

• Sam Smith and Demi Lovato have been close friends for a long time. The pair have repeatedly expressed admiration for each other's work, but this is the first time they've collaborated on music. The duet came about after their mutual songwriter, Savan Kotecha, invited Lovato to the studio to record with Smith.
• "I'm Ready" is a powerful, gospel choir-filled anthem in which Smith and Lovato sing about craving a lover. Their bed feels cold and they are ready for the emotional risks that a romance entails. Smith and Lovato are both "ready for someone to love me."
• Kotecha, Smith and Lovato co-wrote the song with Kotecha's regular collaborators, Cardigans guitarist Peter Svensson, and the song's producer, Ilya Salmanzadeh. Kotecha, Svensson, and Ilya's other joint credits include Ellie Goulding's "Worry About Me" and Ariana Grande's "Focus" and "Breathin."
• Kotecha told MTV News the writers set out to make an over-the-top pop song. "We wanted to make something very dark that got bright and soulful, with aspects of gospel that also still has a bite," he said. "It's very dynamic - very big and dope."
• The video for "I'm Ready," helmed by director Jora Frantzis (Cardi B, Rosalia) and choreographer Sean Bankhead (Normani, Missy Elliot), finds Smith and Lovato competing in a glam Olympics. We see them conquering wrestling, diving, synchronized swimming, gymnastics and a 100 meter race. The other competitors include such drag queens and transgender activists as Valentina, Gigi Goode, Dee TrannyBear, Alok Vaid-Menon, Shea Diamond and fashion designer Jeffrey C. Williams.
  
  The clip culminates in an emotive medal ceremony as the song reaches its gospel choir-filled climax. Smith joked that the "I'm Ready" video is the "Queer Olympics" the world needs right now.