"Ready or Not" is the debut solo single by American actress, singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and philanthropist Bridgit Mendler, and is the lead single from her debut studio album, Hello My Name Is... (2012), which garnered its name from a line in the song. It premiered on Radio Disney on August 3, 2012, and was released digitally on August 7, 2012. The song has received positive reviews from music critics, praising the song's unique sound and Mendler's vocals, which have been compared to Cher Lloyd, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Demi Lovato.

The song became a modest hit in North America, peaking at number 49 in the US and at number 43 in Canada. The song performed better overseas, where it became an international hit. It reached top forty in over twelve countries, and peaked within the top ten in Belgium, Romania, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, making it her first top ten hit. The song was certified gold in Norway, and platinum in New Zealand, United States, and Canada. The song's chorus is an interpolation of The Delfonics' "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)".

In an interview with Kidzworld Media about the song, Mendler said: "It’s a fun song about a girl who is feeling like she has been the wallflower her whole life and she wants to go out there and take charge. It has the romantic element of her going for the guy rather than waiting for the world to come to her. I wrote it with some great writers and producers. We wrote most of the album together."

Mendler has spoken again, then, over the song: I’m thrilled to finally share my songs with the world. I wanted to write something that was empowering for girls. I consider myself to have been that girl sitting on the curb waiting for the world to notice". Mendler co-wrote the song with Emanuel Kiriakou, Evan Kidd Bogart, Andrew Goldstein, Thom Bell, and William Hart. Kiriakou also co-produced it with Andrew Goldstein. The chorus is based on the 1996 song "Ready or Not" by the American hip hop group the Fugees.

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