Talented singer/songwriter Bridgit Mendler may have gotten her start on the Disney Channel, but the 20-year old actress and musician, who is currently working on her second album, prefers that you not compare her to Miley Cyrus.
"There may be some similarities, but I'm my own person," the "Good Luck Charlie" star said to the Burlington County Times in a recent interview. At the age of 8, Mendler was bitten by the acting begun, and according to her, "it just kept building" from there.
Now with a debut album under her belt that premiered last fall, the singer is on her second summer tour, including a performance at Six Flags Great Adventure set for this Sunday, Aug. 25. Her setlist will include music from her album "Hello, My Name Is...," a disc full of pop-rock, at times emotional and at times bubbly music featuring Mendler's raspy, elastic voice, of which she co-wrote all of the songs.
"It's a compulsion for me," Mendler said of her songwriting. "It's also something I really enjoy. I like to create. I really wanted this album to stand on its own. I wanted there to be a balance of sounds on this album. I wanted variety and to just make things really interesting."
"Hello, My Name Is..." debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard charts, its lead single "Ready Or Not" peaking at No. 48 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album has received generally positive reviews from critics, who praise Mendler's singing voice and clever lyrical wit. But as one critic on SpinOrBinMusic noted, with an industry dominated by similar singers like Cher Lloyd, Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, it's going to be hard for Mendler to break in as a pop princess competitor.
Nonetheless, Mendler is proud of the musical work she's done so far and is far from ready to give up.
"One point I want to make is that this isn't just something that comes out of a machine. It came out of me. This isn't just something that I'm doing when I'm not acting. I'm really passionate about music. This isn't about product," Mendler said to the Burlington County Times.
And indeed, with poignant ballads like "All I See Is Gold" and jazz-y pop tracks like "Love Will Tell Us Where to Go," Mendler's music never feels forced or contrived, and fans will be happy to know there's more of it coming soon.
On Aug. 9, the singer confirmed to Billboard that had begun writing music for her sophomore album, and the star plans to release new something in the fall.
"I have written very casually a few songs and I think that's kind of a good starting point for the next album, but I have a ways to go," Mendler told Ryan Seacrest last week.
Click here to see photos from Mendler's performance at the Best Buy Theatre in NYC, and click here to see Mendler's official summer tour schedule.
Bridgit Mendler Summer Tour Setlist
"Hurricane"
"Top of The World"
"Forgot To Laugh"
"City Lights"
"All I See Is Gold"
"5:15"
"Starry Eyed" (Ellie Goulding cover)
"Love Will Tell Us Where To Go"
"Animal" (Neon Trees cover)
"Blonde"
"Rocks At My Window"
Encore
"Ready or Not"
