Taylor Kahan
February 19 marks a celebratory multi-hyphenated milestone for Victoria Justice, and it’s not just because the former ‘Victorious’ actor turns 30. After a year full of promising new music for fans, Justice will release her long-awaited single, “Last Man Standing,” Today.
“I’m walking into my 30s in this place where I feel empowered,” Justice tells Variety of the timing of the release for her birthday. “I feel like this song really captures a lot of that energy, and it’s fun, and it’s kind of sexy, and it has these very strong themes of female empowerment, so it just felt like it was real.” fit well.”
“Last Man Standing” features intoxicatingly upbeat vocals from Justice paired with an airy four-chord riff on acoustic guitar. The performer’s talent comes into its own in the song’s chorus, for which she sings in an ethereal high register. The track cements her place in pop iconography and is a welcome follow-up to Justice’s previous tracks, like 2021’s “Too F*ckin’ Nice” and 2020’s “Treat Myself.”
To date, Justice has released six singles including her latest song. Justice’s vocals also appear on the soundtracks of films she starred in, such as Afterlife of the Party, Trust, and 2016’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again When life begins, the budding pop star has committed to releasing her debut studio album.
“I’m definitely releasing an album — it’s happening,” Justice confirms. “I can’t say that’s definitely done now, but I think my focus right now is on releasing some singles. I’ve got a collection of songs right now that I’m really proud of.”
Justice adds that if she had the opportunity to collaborate with an artist, she would love to work with fellow songwriter Raye, best known for the viral TikTok track “Escapism.” with 070 shaking. She reflects on the dream collaboration with a gentle grin, reciting the song’s beloved line, “A little context if you care to listen,” in Raye’s distinctive British accent.
Also, as she has no plans to slow down her acting career any time soon, Justice will also be starring in the upcoming movies “California King” and “The Tutor” in the near future. The latter is a thriller starring Justice, Garrett Hedlund and Noah Schnapp in which she takes on her first role as a pregnant woman.
“It was really fun just putting on my little one-piece maternity suit,” Justice says, describing the surreality of the role as she, too, begins to think about starting a family one day. “I found that I rubbed it a lot. Honestly I would just rub it all the time.”
The Tutor marks a stark transition for Justice, whose recent appearance on the Netflix rom-com A Perfect Pairing similarly shows the former Nickelodeon actor leaning towards mature characters. And it doesn’t look like she’s going to turn back anytime soon.
Justice, known to fans of ‘Zoey 101’ as Lola Martinez, confirms she won’t be returning to the cast for the upcoming reboot of the popular Nickelodeon series. On Jan. 12, the network announced that a sequel film is in the works on Paramount+, which will see actors Jamie Lynn Spears, Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore reprise their original roles.
“The timing of everything didn’t work out, but I’ve been in touch with Jamie and the entire cast, and they couldn’t be more understanding and supportive,” says Justice. “Ultimately, I would like to be with them. I loved doing this show. It was such a turning point in my life and I had so much fun doing it. I love this cast; We had such a great time and I just have so much love for her.”
Justice states that she isn’t against the idea of rebooting one of her earlier works, although she has carefully weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand, she says, some stories are better left untouched. But for the same reason, Justice proudly acknowledged the far-reaching impact of projects like Victorious and Zoey 101 on the lives of so many children.
“I’m really grateful. I feel really content in where I am right now and I’m hopeful and excited for the future,” Justice added. “I’m really looking forward to releasing the new music I’ve been working on. And I hope people love it and resonate with it. And I just want to express all the gratitude I have for my fans and the people who have supported me, well I don’t know how two decades.”