Big name

Bridgit Mendler makes it

By Tatat Bunnag
Photos are courtesy of
Universal Music Thailand

Ready or not, bubbly blond American singer Bridgit Mendler is taking the pop music world by storm. After becoming known as the star of the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie and the film Lemonade Mouth, the 20-year-old star pursued her dream of becoming a pop singer.

Bridgit has already found great success with her upbeat, R&B influenced pop hits like “Ready or Not” and “Hurricane,” which are featured on her debut album, Hello My Name Is…. The video for “Ready or Not” has already attracted well in excess of a staggering 55 million views on YouTube.

Student Weekly recently had a phone chat with Bridgit about her music and her newfound pop stardom.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your new album and the general vibe you were aiming for?

Bridgit: When we were making the album, I was searching for styles that would be fun and unique. We did a lot of experiments with different genres. Overall, I think my music is a mix of pop and jazzy hip-hop styles.

Student Weekly: You impressively co-wrote most of the songs on your album. Where do you get inspiration for writing songs?

Bridgit: I think each song on the album is different. Sometimes I just get ideas while I’m writing. Lyrics can also be influenced by the melody of the song. The people that I worked with were so talented and helpful. They were great at coming up with interesting concepts, so we could write the songs together.

Student Weekly: You recently released your new single, “Hurricane.” Can you tell us about this song?

Bridgit: It’s basically about a relationship that was going through a hard time. It’s kind of a sad story, but the song has upbeat music to make it more fun and quirky.

Student Weekly: You also show your rapping skills on the track. Are you a fan of rap music?

Bridgit: That wasn’t actually my idea. My producer thought it would be cool to have a rap part in the song. I do like rap and hip-hop music, but it’s not a style that I really want to pursue too much. [Laughs.] I really enjoyed what I did with that song though.

Student Weekly: Your song “Ready or Not” was noticeably inspired by a track by hip-hop band Fugees. How did that come about?

Bridgit: Fugees definitely inspired that song. We were listening to their song “Ready or Not” before making our version, and we decided to try to make an interpretation of their song and it turn it into something new.

Student Weekly: Do you have personal favourite song from your album?

Bridgit: “Forget to Laugh” is my favourite. It’s really fun and sassy. It’s about a girl who wants a guy to feel sorry for breaking up with her. She wants bad things to happen to him because he dumped her. [Laughs.]

Student Weekly: After having success in both acting and singing, which do you prefer?

Bridgit: I like them both for different reasons. With acting, I love always having new and interesting projects to work on. But with music, it's really fun to be creative and sing songs that reflect my personality. I guess I enjoy them both!

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