It was written by RedOne, Alex Papaconstantinou, Björn Djupström, Viktor Svensson, Armando "Pitbull" Perez (who is also the featured artist), Achraf Janussi and Bilal "The Chef" Hajji.

The song marks the fourth collaboration between two artists following "Fresh Out the Oven" (2009), "On the Floor" (2011) and "Dance Again" (2012), the latter two of which achieved commercial success.

"Live It Up" experienced moderate commercial success worldwide, entering the top-twenty in twelve countries including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia; however, in the United States the song only managed to reach number 60, thus failing to achieve the same commercial success as Lopez's previous collaborations with Pitbull.

Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times said the deal "shouldn't come as a surprise" considering RedOne's role in Lopez's musical comeback two years prior.

[2] In an official press release, RedOne stated: "Live It Up", announced on April 24, 2013, was originally to serve as the lead single to Lopez's eighth studio album.

[10] A sing-along lyric video for the song, described by The Huffington Post as having "colorful and energetic scenes", was uploaded to Lopez's official YouTube channel.

The party-themed track was produced by RedOne and Alex P,[6][13][19] who also wrote it alongside Björn Djupström, Viktor Svensson, Pitbull, Achraf Janussi and Bilal "The Chef" Hajji.

[21] "Live It Up" opens with Pitbull's bilingual verse, which contains lyrics such as "Jenny from the Block, let's rock" and "She's screaming YOLO", as well as "We don't believe in defeat, what's why we're back for a threepeat", which references the duo collaborating once again.

[14] He wrote that it should be "law" that if "your song features Pitbull, will.i.am or Flo Rida, you are legally mandated to release a solo version so nobody has to suffer".

He also noted, "Like graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, the combination of Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and producer RedOne has proven to be endlessly winning".

[16] Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times called the song a "typical Euro-pop jam that RedOne probably weaves in his sleep" that sounds "perfect for summer".

[2] Writing for She Knows Entertainment, Natasha Shankar thought the chorus was "forced", but however described the song as "catchy" and "vivacious and strong, just like the songstress herself".

[21] Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush wrote that while the song will get its "fair share" of remixes and club play, it will also "find a home on the radio and in mall clothing stores".

[23] Sciarretto wrote that while the song is in typical Lopez and Pitbull fashion, but "they've switched it up this time on the production end of things, thanks to the multiple layers of synthy beats".

[23] The New York Daily News felt that "Live It Up" was strikingly similar to "Dance Again", but stated that it had potential to be a summer hit, praising its "make love, don't fight/let's hook tonight".

[17] Sugey Palomares of Latina stated, "This is the third time J.Lo has joined forces with the hit-making producer and Mr. 305, which is no surprise considering the success they garnered in the past.

[24] Nate Jones of the website PopDust found the fact that Lopez collaborated with Pitbull once again "odd", and wrote that "For artists who aren’t married, and never were in any sort of band together, this is a pretty rare thing".

[48] Starting May 13, 2013, Entertainment Tonight aired its "J.Lo week", which featured Marciano's interview with Lopez and behind-the-scenes making of the video clips as well as exclusive sneak peeks.

[43] Instantly following Lopez's performance of the song on American Idol, the singer posted a sneak peek of the music video on Twitter.

[56] Lopez soon takes center spotlight on the catwalk runway where she dances to a choreographed routine that is a reminiscent of her music video for "I'm Glad".

[54] After the fashion show, Lopez now appears on the beach in Saint-Tropez, partying and dancing with Pitbull and everyone else, now clothed in a loose green kaftan.

[58] Christina Lee of Idolator commented that the music video is "a flashy clip showing that even if Pitbull calls (okay, texts) and America’s Next Top Model alumnus Eva Marcille appears, J.

[59] Peggy Truong of Celebuzz stated that the clip had a "dose of fabulousness" and a "handful of product placements", referring to the video's promotion of Ice-Watch, Nokia and Swarovski.

Smith also commented that "Jennifer aka J-Lo from back in the day she lived on the block, knows how to jumpstart the summer season with a sexy, kicking music video to accompany her new single".

[65] Prior to Pitbull opening the performance, a monologue by Lopez was heard, in which she exclaimed, "Don't have regrets because at one time, everything you did was exactly what you wanted".

[66] HollywoodLife's Jenny Pickard called it a "dance-heavy" performance, stating: "[Lopez] perfectly balanced showing off her seductive dance moves and singing the lyrics to the song".

[82] Although the television series judges such as Simon Cowell were "blown away", the performance drew complaints for viewers for being too "sexed-up" as she "flashed a whole lot of her famous figure".