Bridgit Mendler: 'Ready or Not' Songstress Reveals Song-Writing Details, Music Advice and What's Making Her Laugh (EXCLUSIVE)

New York City was experiencing its first brisk weather of the fall season when Bridgit Mendler visited the AOL Music office. While the rest of the city bundled up to fight off the chills, Bridgit – who resides in sunny Los Angeles – embraced it. "It's refreshing," she said cheerfully, showing no signs of anxiousness about the release of her debut album, My Name Is.... In fact, the "Good Luck Charlie" actress was nothing but positive as we chatted about overcoming fears, relating to her fans, and the Disney Channel alum she admires the most. (Hint: It's not Miley, Selena or Demi.)

In an interview, you said your new single, "Ready or Not," is about girl who's been a wallflower but decides to take charge. Can you tell me about a time when you've really pushed your fear aside and gone for something?

I think every time I go out on stage I'm trying to conquer that, honestly. I enjoy singing, but I always get nervous that I'm not going to pull it off the way I'd want to. I'm battling so many different nerves before I'm going out there and it's something I really care about doing, but I definitely have to push myself into it. It takes a little bit of that courage to do it, so I think that's kind of the message of "Ready or Not" -- it's meant to be about something you really believe in and you're passionate about and it's just needs that extra push to go and do it.

Exactly! Once you push yourself, it'll be worth it.

It's always worth it. It's so much fun, but beforehand, I'm always like, "Get me away. I don't want to do this!"

Can you describe how you're feeling right now? Premiering your first album is a big deal!

I'm so excited. It's been a year since I was writing it, so I'm really excited to share the music. I think "Ready or Not" has been a great start, but I'm so thrilled to share the rest of the album, because I feel like people will be able to really get what's going on with the style once the whole album's out there.

Is there a song that you sat down to write and it just poured out?

With "Love Will Tell Us Where to Go," we labored over the chorus for a bit of that song, just to make sure it had all the right words and said all the right things. With the verses and the overall mood of the song, I knew right away what I wanted it to be, so the verses came really quickly and the story came quickly.

And once you have that inspiration, the rest is easy!

"Rocks in My Window" was a fun one cause they started playing this track and all of the sudden to me it was like sort of an '80s movie where there's a teenager sitting in her room with the high ponytail, flipping through a magazine, just thinking about the boy, and she has this fantasy that he'll throw rocks at her window and he'll do the whole epic "I want to be with you."

Like "Say Anything"?

Exactly, and so they'll be able to run away together and everything. I like that one because it's such a bubblegum fantasy story. Teen spirit too, it's very much teen to me, that song. It's like so young and free and fun.


I listened to your song "Forgot to Laugh" -- which is a more serious track. But on a lighter note, what is making you laugh these days?

I just watched a few episodes of "The Mindy Project." She's hilarious.

Are you a fan of "The Office" too?

I love "The Office." And I love seeing little cameos from different "The Office" actors on there, too.

Like Ed Helms!

Yeah, on the first episode!

There's a lot of Disney Channel alum who've had very successful musical careers. Do you feel any pressure to follow in the footsteps of Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato?

They've been so successful with their careers and it's such an honor to be within that category of people almost expecting me to follow in that pattern, but I think they all have their own style. For me, what's most important is being honest in what I do and trying to be relatable to people with that. Whatever path happens for me, that's what it's supposed to be.

Is there one of them that you particularly admire her career path or would kind of like to emulate her in the things that she's done?

I don't know about music-wise. I do love Ryan Gosling though. Maybe I just missed his childhood teen fame thing, but he came back strong as an adult actor and he has great music, very individual style. Dead Man's Bones, that's his band's name, he doesn't advertise that he is who he is. I've seen him perform two times, I think. It's so cool. He has kind of a Halloween style, almost. Dark, zombies sort of thing, which is fun. He has a children's choir that backs him up. I just love that he's doing his own thing. He seems like a genuine guy.

Did you see him in New York?

No, I saw him back in L.A. It was the one concert I ever went to where they had everybody in the audience sit down. Like, it was a standing room full of people packed to capacity and then they had everybody sit down, so you're sitting on top of strangers. A little arm and a leg over somebody random. They wanted to do that because they have this whole marionette magician act that would come in between the show.

Switching gears, you're dating your fellow "Good Luck Charlie" star, Shane Harper. What's it like working with him?

He's so much fun to work with. We all have so much fun working together on set. We all get along so well and we've been friends for so long that the environment is really friendly.

You're also working on a song for Disney's Christmas album. Were you guys in the studio recording together?

Yeah, yeah we were, which doesn't happen often. They told us that they wanted us to do a song for Christmas and we're like, "Yes. That would be so much fun." I don't often get to get in the studio with somebody. Obviously we took turns recording, but it was just fun to be there with a friend and share that.

New Year's is coming up right after Christmas. Do you have a resolution?

My resolution is the same every year, or it has been for the past few years, and that's to really make time for friends and family, because I think that's so important. I'm inspired to do well in school this year. I'm going back to school for college at the University of Southern California. I'm starting in the winter/spring semester, so I want to make sure I'm on top of that and I'm good on that. And taking care of friends and family. It's a lot of priorities.

Congratulations! Do you know what you're going to be studying?

I don't yet. I need to pick my major, but I know I'm going to do a general education course in the beginning, so I'll be doing those for a little while. I'm just going to be taking one class a year, so it will be slow, but we're going to get there.

Keep Up with Bridgit on Tumblr and check out her new game.