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| Bridgit Mendler |
I would like everyone to take a moment and look at the names on the list below and tell me what they all have in common. Here we go……
Demi Lovato
Britney Spears
Justin Timberlake
Selena Gomez
Raven Symone
Miley Cyrus
Christina Aguilera
Jesse McCartney.
What do you think? Are they all young singers who have or are enjoying great success in the music business? True! Although they do share one other commonality; all of them got their start performing on Walt Disney Production shows or movies. Many of you guessed correctly I’m sure. They all worked and got a good knowledge of the entertainment business under the direction of the Magic Kingdom’s star maker factory. There are several more names of singers who got their start from Disney, but those listed above are very well known today. However, there may be one more vocalist to add to the list: Bridgit Mendler.
Ms. Mendler is the star of Disney channel comedy Good Luck Charlie as well as a couple of Disney feature films. Last week she released her first studio album entitled, Hello My Name Is….. after previously releasing the single “Ready or Not”. Make no mistake; Bridgit Mendler is a very good young singer. When listening to her new album you really hear a mixture of musical styles. In one of her interviews Bridgit said the album does represent her own musical tastes. You can hear rock, R & B, and reggae elements throughout the album. I can only imagine that she, like everyone from the list above, will be excellent in concert. She is also very poised in interviews, displaying candor and appropriate humor impressively considering she is just 19 years old.
As I listened to Bridgit Mendler’s music and interview my mind quickly went to all the Disney alums, and I wondered how Disney became the minor league of the music industry. Then I remembered while in college a group of young musicians talking about the audition and other requirements to work for Disney World. Strict grooming and conduct rules were at the top of the list, but according to one of my college classmates the audition for musicians was more rigorous than any other at the time. Hmmm! Is it possible that Disney is just very good at evaluating talent? Were stars like Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera going to be great regardless of their Disney starts? As I thought back to my classmates’ comments I really wondered if Disney is the great training ground I perceived earlier. That point is debatable because Disney provides a lot of opportunity for the youngsters to perform and gain experience in front of audiences. All of these budding young stars are recognizable because they gain exposure as Bridgit Mendler has on her television show Good Luck Charlie. The bigger question has to be is Bridgit Mendler, to borrow from the title of her single, “Ready or Not”? If history repeats itself, then the young vocalist should be on her way to a very nice career.