And then there’s the dancing. “I’m not
a dancer, you know [laughs]. So when
I move up on stage, sometimes I can
second-guess [myself], like, ‘Does
this look stupid?’ I think being a live
performer is so much more about
just being into it. Banks, for example,
has her own style. Lorde. People just
do their own thing, and that becomes
a part of their character, so I feel no
shame about that now.”
Oh, and speaking of Banks and
Lorde, it can’t go unmentioned
that Mendler’s taste in music is
impeccable, running the gamut from
ambient, alternative pop to hiphop and everything in between. She
even makes room on her playlists for
buddies (and fellow Ragged features)
Katelyn Tarver, Paris Carney, and, of
course, beau Shane Harper. The main
influences for her upcoming album
(out later this year) though? Lauren
Hill, Nelly Furtado, and Missy
Elliott. “There’s no way that I could
be just like those people, but they’ve
been a musical inspiration for me.”