After a seven-year hiatus, Victoria Justice is finally releasing new music again. The 28-year-old actress and singer is best known for her lead role as Tori Vega on the hit Nickelodeon show Victorious from 2010-2013. As a part of the show, she recorded songs for three albums with the Victorious cast and released chart-topping earworms like “Freak the Freak Out,” “Best Friend’s Brother,” and “Beggin’ on Your Knees.”
Following the show’s conclusion, she released two debut solo singles in 2013, “Gold” and “Shake,” but they both failed to reach the music charts. Shortly after the singles’ release, she left Columbia Records and decided to focus on acting, where she landed roles in the movie Naomi and Eli’s No Kiss List (2015), the TV reboot of Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016), and more.
Flash forward to today, and the singer has turned over a new musical leaf. She released two singles, “Treat Myself” in December 2020 and “Stay” in February 2021, with music videos to accompany them. This is a new chapter for Justice as she leans towards a more mature sound than the songs we know and love from one of Nickelodeon’s most top-rated sitcoms.
“Treat Myself” is a straightforward song both melodically and instrumentally. It features a guitar riff, piano chords, and a minimal drum beat that complements her smooth vocals. The song is all about self-love and learning to treat yourself better, a message we could all be reminded of. Its vulnerable lyrics show that she is opening up to the public after seven years.
Meanwhile, “Stay” is a romantic ballad with electric guitar reverb that Justice described as “Sexy and passionate.” Its sound and music video projects a strong ‘70s vibe, inspired by one of the best decades of music.
“The stuff I’m putting out is obviously more mature, it’s been seven years and what not,” Justice told Forbes. “I’m a woman now.”
Anyone following Justice since her Nickelodeon days, as I have, knows that she’s been promising new music for years. “I made a promise to you guys and to myself that I was going to release music in 2020,” Justice captioned a Dec. 7 Instagram post. “My hope was to complete a full musical project and have an album or EP to release, but of course 2020 has not exactly turned out as many of us planned. And instead of overthinking all of this, I just thought…I’m going to just put it out there.”
While there is no official announcement of a full album or EP, I’m thrilled that Justice is finally showcasing her musical talents through these two singles.
The double-threat is still pursuing acting projects while releasing new music; most recently, she starred in the coming-of-age film Summer Night in 2019 and has a new movie coming out called Trust on Mar. 12.
Justice is severely underrated as both an actress and a singer and is one the few Hollywood stars with an absolute heart of gold. For years, she has been constantly compared to Victorious co-star Ariana Grande in the media, so this time around, I hope she finally gets the recognition she deserves.
IMAGE TAKEN from Victoria Justice/Youtube
IMAGE TAKEN from Billboard
