Washington makes Mandy Moore ‘turn her brain on’ more

Mandy Moore says there’s a big difference between where she lives in L.A. and Washington, D.C.: “It’s terrible to say, but I feel like I really have to turn my brain on here a little bit more — in a good way!”

 The 27-year-old musician and “A Walk to Remember” star, who called being featured in April’s “2011 Most Beautiful List” in People magazine “bizarre,” is in town serving as ambassador for the global health organization Population Services International. 

 {mosads}While appearing at its “Power of 1 percent” event on Tuesday, Moore, dressed in a flowy shirt, black leather pants and leopard-print flats, told ITK she hopes to be making more trips to the land of wonks and lobbyists: “I love spending time here. This is not my world, so it’s always fascinating to me just to even be on the sidelines and observe and listen, and be as much of a sponge as I can, to sort of soak up everything.”

 But one thing Moore hasn’t been doing while in Washington is penning tunes. The sweet-voiced singer, who released her last album in 2009, revealed that while she has been working on another record, D.C. hasn’t yet lent itself to bouts of lyrical genius.

 “I haven’t really written anything while I’ve been here,” she said. “But I’m sure there’s a lot of inspiration to be garnered from the city. For sure, if I stick around long enough.”