Drawing us in with a whispered ad-lib of the words, “I’m ready…” in English, Ukrainian, Hebrew and Arabic, expanding with bold percussion like crashing chains, Susan Mohini Kane opens Ready for the Wonderful with intrigue and subversion. We immediately connect with the intentionality and meaning behind Susan’s words.
In essence, the song is about finding hope again after going through something difficult. This feels hugely relatable, on an individual and globally zeitgeist scale. Susan asks whether she will “burn and break or bend”, before answering with a clear decision: that she is ready to believe again, ready to be free again, and ready to find her sanity again.
The multilingual approach makes the message even more powerful. After opening in English, Ukrainian, Hebrew and Arabic, Susan later brings in Spanish, French and Italian. Hearing the same simple idea expressed across so many languages gives the track a feeling of oneness at a time when we need it the most.
Musically, the track builds around stomp-clap energy, group vocals and soaring operatic backing vocals. We can certainly hear Susan’s classical training within the arrangement, but there is also a clear cinematic pop vibe that manifests with a contemporary and experimental edge.
The story behind Ready for the Wonderful gives the track even more emotional weight. Susan originally wrote the words “I’m ready…” in Spanish, but after the Eaton Fire forced her from her home, those words took on a much deeper meaning. We could imagine Ready for the Wonderful in a film like the Oscar-winning, One Battle After Another, The Pursuit of Happyness, Wild or The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It could also work well in a series like This Is Us or Ted Lasso.
It is no surprise that Susan’s music has been described as “champagne for the soul”, and needless to say, we are obsessed. Ready for the Wonderful has been added to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the star’s growing discography, including Grandma’s Song, and Waking Up in Wonderland.