Justice reflects on her evolution from child star to independent artist and celebrating fan-fuelled success with "Love Zombie"
From Zoey 101 to landing her own Nickelodeon show, Victorious, Victoria Justice has transitioned from the spotlight of being a child star to a 32-year-old actor and singer navigating the entertainment industry on her own terms. Most recently, Justice has released her song "Love Zombie," which she originally wrote as a teenager and had been leaked online, but has since found a dedicated fan base.
"When it was leaked, my first reaction was, 'What the heck. How did this song get out there?' ... But then I was looking at the comments, and people seemed to really be loving it," Justice told Yahoo. "Someone I was working with sent me several TikToks of people using 'Love Zombie' and saying how much they thought that I should have released it, and they thought it was a hit. And these videos had like millions of views."
"I had kind of been tossing around the idea in my head of, what if I did [release it]? I wrote it when I was 17, but what if I did go in there and re-record it, and just update it a little bit? ... And I'm so happy I did. The response has been so great. And it's just a really fun nod to my younger self, and I'm proud that this part of her gets to kind of live on. ... It's really just such a testament to the fans, because if it wasn't for them being so vocal and passionate about the song, and getting my attention about it, nothing would have ever probably happened with it. So it really is just a reminder to me of how grateful I am for the support that I do have."
An incredibly catchy, playful pop hit, the success of "Love Zombie" proves how much people love Justice as a music artist, but it's also evidence of how she's been able to take her career into her own hands in a really effective way, since Justice is currently not signed to a music label.
"I'm not going to lie, it's a grind. It's harder than it would be if I was signed to a major label," Justice shared. "I was going to get editorial playlisting and have marketing money behind my songs and so forth. All those things obviously help get more eyeballs and ears to your song. Right now, I'm fully self-funded. It's me and the fans out here grinding."
"I'm making my short-form content. I'm doing my thing. ... I'm really making this happen, and I get to have this creative control, and ... there's no one telling me I have to do something a certain way, or I have to put something out at a certain time. I just kind of get to be my own leader and my own boss. And I think in some ways, it can be daunting, but in other ways it's pretty empowering. And I'm proud of myself for continuing to just be creative and to work hard. I think it's worth it."
It's easy to see how passionate Justice is about her music, and she's also been able to use music as a form of personal exploration and expression. Including a previously released song "Raw," with some of the lyrics taken from Justice's journal, and a song "Treat Myself," which Justice shared was written about the mental health struggles she has faced.
"Music is really a creative outlet to kind of explore and turn things that maybe weren't so beautiful into something that can be beautiful, and that can hopefully live on and maybe help other people in some way," Justice said.
In her adult life, Justice has taken acting roles in projects like Afterlife of the Party and A Perfect Pairing on Netflix, and the short-lived series Suits LA. As an actor, Justice wants to keep playing different characters and growing with new acting experiences.
"I don't ever want to do the same thing over and over again, so I look for things that are going to challenge me, or something new, or someone that I haven't worked with yet that I admire," Justice said. "I just always want to work with people that are going to make me better too, and just continue to try to stretch myself."
But Justice is also aware of her reputation as a child star, and how her work on Nickelodeon, in particular, was significant to a generation that grew up watching those shows, and it makes Justice think about the impact her work is having on the audience.
"I ultimately want to tell stories that I feel have meaning and a greater lesson or purpose in some way. I feel like, with anything that I really do, I really want to try to leave some sort of positive impact on this world, if at all possible," Justice said. "So I think that's always in the back of my mind. ... I know that I have a lot of people that have grown up watching me. ... So if I can reach those people through my music or an acting project and make them feel something, ... give them the kick in the butt they need to chase after their own dreams, ... I want to do things that feel meaningful and positive in some way."
"It's definitely not lost on me, the effect [Victorious] has had on so many people. The amount of people that come up to me that meet me and say, 'You were my childhood' or 'You raised me,' ... it really means a lot to me, and it's so sweet. ... It's so cool to know that show ... helped a lot of people, and I also think it inspired a lot of people. It brought a lot of joy to people's lives, and that's forever something I will be grateful for."
Particularly in recent years, there have been a lot of conversations and reflections on how children have been treated on set, including the Quiet on Set documentary, or Alyson Stoner opening up about her experience with stardom as a child. Justice previously told Marie Claire that there were times when she was "treated unfairly" on set as a child, and moments that "were in poor taste" for children's programming.
But the actor and singer emphasized that having the support of her family, who were present on set when she was a child, was crucial in helping her navigate the landscape of being a child star.
"I'm really lucky in the sense that ... my family has been very involved in my life ever since I was young, and anytime I was ever on set, my mom was always there. She's always been incredibly involved," Justice said. "They've also been an incredibly grounding support system for me. ... I've always been extremely close to them. I've always felt very safe and protected by them."
"So I feel very lucky that I had that sort of guidance growing up. I think a lot of people don't, and I think that can be really hard. But there are obviously lots of pros that come with starting young, and there are cons to anything as well. But I think for me, I'm really grateful that I at least was able to do what I love and have a family that was supporting me, and uprooted our lives from Florida to Los Angeles, California, in order for me to pursue my dreams. So I think I'm just always living and coming from a place of gratitude."
Looking forward to Justice's growing career, we can expect more music from the star. She is also starring in the upcoming horror-thriller movie Send a Scare, alongside Noel Fisher and Robbie Amell.
"You can expect a really fun movie. ... As soon as I read the script, I really liked it. I thought it was unique. I like the fact that it takes place in the venture capital world," Justice teased. "I loved my character arc and ... the cast is just so insanely talented. Everyone in this movie is just a great actor."
"Josh Trank, who is our director, who wrote and directed Chronicle, ... had such a creative and passionate vision for this movie."
But the big news recently is that Victorious is getting a Netflix spinoff, Hollywood Arts, with Daniella Monet, who played Trina Vega on the original show, starring in the new series. She's also taking on an executive producer role. While we'll have to wait and see if Justice's Tori Vega makes an appearance when Hollywood Arts premieres next year, or maybe one of Justice's songs will be used on the show, Justice said there aren't any plans, but "you never know what could happen."
"I'm super excited for Daniella. I think she's perfect for this," Justice said. "I'm just so curious and excited to see what they do. ... I'm so happy that she's having this moment."