Taylor Kahn
Feb. 19 marks a celebratory milestone for multi-hyphenated Victoria Justice, and not just because the former “Victorious” actor turns 30. After a year of promising new music for fans, Justice will drop his long-awaited single, “Last Man Standing,” today.
“I’m entering my thirties in this place where I feel empowered,” Justice said. Variety to time the outing on his 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 really strong themes of female empowerment, so it felt really GOOD.”
“Last Man Standing” features upbeat, upbeat vocals from Justice over a playful four-chord riff on acoustic guitar. The performer’s talent is on full display in the song’s chorus, for which she sings in an ethereal high register. Cementing its place in pop iconography, the track is a welcome follow-up to previous Justice 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 voice also appears on the soundtracks of movies she starred in like “Afterlife of the Party,” “Trust,” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again” in 2016. While she embarking on the next chapter of her life, the budding pop star has pledged to release her debut studio album.
“I’m definitely releasing an album – it’s happening,” Justice says. “I can’t say it’s done right now by any means, but I think right now I’m focused on releasing a few singles. I have a collection of songs right now that I’m really into. proud.
Justice adds that, if given the opportunity to collaborate with any artist, she would love to work alongside fellow songwriter Raye, best known for the viral TikTok track “Escapism.” with 070 Shake. She reflects on the dream collaboration with a sweet smile, before reciting the song’s popular line, “A little background if you care to listen,” with Raye’s distinctive British accent.
With no intention of slowing down her acting career any time soon either, Justice will also be appearing on screen in the upcoming films ‘California King’ and ‘The Tutor’. The latter is a thriller with Justice, Garrett Hedlund and Noah Schnapp, in which she plays her first role as a pregnant woman.
“It was really funny, just putting on my little one-piece pregnancy suit,” Justice says, describing the surreality of the role as she, too, begins to think about starting a family one day. “I found myself rubbing it a lot. Honestly, I would rub it all the time.
“The Tutor” marks a stark transition for Justice, whose recent performance in the Netflix rom-com “A Perfect Pairing” similarly shows the former Nickelodeon actor leaning into mature characters. And it doesn’t look like she’s coming back any time soon.
Known to “Zoey 101” fans as Lola Martinez, Justice confirms that she will not be returning to the cast for the upcoming reboot of the popular Nickelodeon series. On January 12, the network announced that a sequel film was in the works at Paramount+ with actors Jamie Lynn Spears, Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore reprising 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,” Justice said. “At the end of the day, I would love to be there with them. I loved doing that show. It was a pivotal time in my life, and I had so much fun doing it. I love that cast; we had such a great time and i have so much love for them.
Justice notes that she’s not opposed to the idea of rebooting any of her earlier works, though she has carefully weighed the pros and cons. For one thing, she says, some stories are best left untouched. But at the same time, Justice proudly acknowledged the tremendous impact projects like “Victorious” and “Zoey 101” have had on the lives of so many children.
“I feel really grateful. I feel really happy with where I am in life right now, and I have hope and excitement for the future,” Justice added. I’m really looking forward to releasing the new music I’m working on. And I hope people will like it and resonate with it. And I just want to express all the gratitude that I have for my fans and the people who have supported me for, well, I don’t know, like two decades.