Sunday Conversation (Exclusive): Victoria Justice On Her New Songs, ‘Music Is Such A Passion Of Mine And Part Of My Soul’

In December of last year, Victoria Justice released the single "Treat Myself." It was the first new music of any kind from the singer/actress in seven years. As Justice herself says, " Seven years is a long time to be away from something."

Seven years is, in and of itself, a long time. But in Justice's case the hiatus feels even longer because of the crucial ages it spans. Justice, who began acting at age 10 and rose to fame on Nickelodeon by age 12, turns 28 this coming Friday (February 19). So when she last released music she was 20. The difference in age between 20 and 27 is far greater than seven years when it comes to life experience.

"The stuff I'm putting out is obviously more mature, it's been seven years and what not," she says. "I'm a woman now." That very much shows in her second single, the just released "Stay."

Described by Justice as "Sexy and passionate," the superb single blends the feel of '70s soul and doo wop for a timeless and perfect for Valentine's Day vibe. Like "Treat Myself," a song about not being too hard on yourself, "Stay" shows who Justice is becoming — a singer/songwriter at age 28 who isn't afraid to open up and be vulnerable and share themselves with the audience.

Finding her voice as a songwriter and singer is just part of the success Justice is enjoying right now. As she proudly points out, "Treat Myself," without any marketing push, is over two million streams on Spotify alone. But that isn't her biggest achievement.

Talk to Justice, as I got to for over 45 minutes on Zoom in her first music interview since releasing new music, and she smiles constantly, beaming as she talks about the new music and her love of artists from Coldplay to Sara Bareilles.

About to be 28 she is confident, happy and ready to embark on the next phase of her musical adventure, one that she can't wait to continue to share with fans.  "At this point I'm doing it for me and I'm doing things that make me happy," she says. "It's exciting to just being putting new music out there again. Music is such a passion of mine and part of my soul. So I'm just having fun getting it out there."

Steve Baltin: So the last time I saw you was at Coldplay at the Palladium.

Victoria Justice: Can we talk about how amazing that show was? Honestly that was one of my favorite concert-going experiences just because I'm such a huge Coldplay fan. And to see them in such an intimate setting was just one of the greatest things ever. I love Chris Martin so much. He, to me, is such an incredible frontman. I'm always so blown away by his command of the stage.

Baltin: Do you find after seven years away from music you appreciate it more?

Justice: Yeah, I think so. Coming back into it now I was really hungry. I was hungry to get back in the studio. I was in sort of a different head space as a songwriter. I was ready to be more vulnerable and honest about things that I was feeling. And I was so excited. For a while I had been back in the studio and making music. I was always sitting on stuff and waiting for maybe the right deal to come along or that deal to follow through and the right moment to happen or the right song. And I just got to the point where I was like, "You have all these songs that you've written, they're really good, stop doubting yourself. People that you trust and love really like them, just put it out there." That's the place I got to. And once the pandemic happened I was like, "I have the song 'Treat Myself' that I really love. It's very vulnerable and real and personal to me. And now is the perfect time for me to put this out into the world because I feel like a lot of other people are in this space where we're alone with ourselves, alone with our thoughts." And I felt like people would be able to relate to that.  

Baltin: After all that time how much did the response to "Treat Myself" boost your confidence going forward?

Justice: It was awesome, it gave me a really good confidence boost. I hadn't put anything out in seven years. I had no idea if people would be that interested or how many people would care, how well it would be received or not. I was sort of dipping my toe back into the water again and that's always the scariest part. But right away I started to see a positive response and I'm so grateful for all my fans and everyone online that has been supporting me. Just seeing that people have connected with this song and that they love it has been really special. It's cool because it's a personal song to me and it's a self-love song. So to have that resonate with people, to have people message me and say things like, "I listen to this when I wake up in the morning and it helps me get through the day. This song helped me in these hard moments." That's a really beautiful thing. And obviously not every song is going to be this deep, pouring your heart out thing. But to have people connect with it on a personal level and having their response be so positive has really made me feel good. It's been very validating and exciting. And I'm not with a label right now. So this has been at a very grassroots level. There wasn't a ton of marketing money behind it at all, there was just me and my social media and my fans. So they're really the ones I have to thank for all this. It's exciting. And I don't have a hundred million streams on this. But that was never the goal. I have over two million streams on Spotify right now and who knows how much else on the other platforms and that's enough for me. I'm so excited that even that many people have listened to it (laughs).

Baltin: So what are your feel-good morning songs?

Justice: I feel like "You Gotta Be," by Des'ree is a go to for me just because the lyrics are so empowering. They always remind me, "I got this." "I gotta be bold/I gotta be strong." It's all the things she says. There's a song by Kim Petras that I love, it's called "I Don't Want It At All." It's just super fun and poppy and every time it comes on it just gives me those vibes and I feel like I'm ready to take on the world and I feel like the fiercest female ever. And also a song by Katie Pruitt, it's called "Expectations." I heard this song "Out Of The Blue" and I was like, "Who is this girl? She has a really amazing voice and these lyrics she's telling such a great story. I need to check this out." So I went on Spotify and listened to some of her other music. She's so incredible. "Expectations" I feel like speaks so much to me.

Baltin: What draws you to an artist?

Justice: Someone mentioned this artist Alec Benjamin to me and I went all on it because, for me, what really resonates is when I feel like an artist is telling a story. I love good storytellers. That's my favorite thing about songwriting. I love when you can tell a good story.

Baltin: Most good writing is subconscious. So were you even aware of the things you felt in "Treat Yourself" before you started writing about it?

Justice: No, I wasn't. I was writing this with Taylor (Buono) and we were at the piano together. And I remember specifically we had the lines, "I wouldn't say the things I do to anybody else." And I was like automatically, "So why is it okay to say it to myself?" It just all poured out. It was very much a confessional sort of thing where I didn't even have to think about it too much. Once we had this concept and this song it all just started flowing out of me.

Baltin: Once you wrote the song and realized all the things you were thinking did it help you to learn to be easier on yourself?

Justice: Yeah, I think so. But I think also in a way sometimes it's a good reminder for me because I'll catch myself feeling certain things and thinking certain ways. And I'll think of my song and be like, "Girl, you better practice what you're preaching" (laughs). So it's kind of that too.

Baltin: And did you have the same thing in "Stay" where you realized things from the writing of the song?

Justice: Yeah, that song just kind of came out of nowhere. I was writing it with this girl Tia (Socla), who's a super talented songwriter. She was playing a few chords on the guitar, then this melody came out of us and the song came out of nowhere. I don't even know where it came from (laughs). But I love it and I love the story. I'm a romantic at heart. I love romance and passion and I love how this song just captures that lusty, sort of passionate moment. Also leaning into the old-school vibe was really fun for me because I love oldies and I love that kind of music. So it was cool to do that.

Baltin: What are the favorite love songs in honor of Valentine's Day?

Justice: What's going through my mind right now, probably because I watched the Bee Gees documentary, "How Deep Is Your Love." I love that song. That's one of the greatest songs ever written. And "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," not necessarily a love song, but those lyrics just cut you to the core.

Baltin: Or what about the favorite romantic movies?

Justice: Of course When Harry Met Sally is a classic and so good. Serendipity is one of my favorites of all time with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. Those are probably my top two. Oh, and there's one called Just Like Heaven with Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon. It's so good.

Baltin: You have a birthday coming up this month. You are turning 28 and from 21 to 28 you are an entirely different person. So do you feel like you are in a way starting over as a songwriter and just introducing yourself?

Justice: Yes, I do kind of feel that way. I feel like I'm in a phase where I've written a bunch of songs that I love, but I'm also in a place where I can't wait to explore who I am as an artist more. And I can't wait to become a better songwriter and I feel like I still have so much to learn and so much room to grow. I'm excited for all that.

Baltin: Do you have songs you've written or are writing that are building blocks for where you want to go as an artist?

Justice: Yeah, definitely. I'm very excited and I'm trying not to over think all this. At the same time, though I can be a bit of a perfectionist, I know when something is good. You just feel it and you just know it. And when that happens you can't over think it, you just gotta get it out there. So that's what I'm trying to do right now. But I do feel like I have a couple of other songs too that I feel like are really moving in the right direction I want to go. And the stuff I'm putting out is obviously more mature, it's been seven years and what not. I'm a woman now. I'm excited about where this music is gonna go. I can't wait to share more with people. And I can't wait to keep writing.

Baltin: Have you been writing a lot during the pandemic?

Justice: I've been writing here and there, not as much as I would like to be honest. It's just been hard. I tried to do a few Zoom songwriting sessions and it's just not the same. But I'm excited to start pushing myself and hopefully get in some rooms with people more. And I've been writing a little bit on my own. I've also been busy making movies and stuff. I did a movie in New York right before the quarantine happened. So I got really lucky I got to finish a movie and then I did another movie in the middle of this pandemic in South Africa. So that was crazy,

Baltin: All forms of art infuse each other. So does the acting and travel inspire you in writing?

Justice: So much. I was so inspired. Life experience is what informs writing and telling a great story. I've been lucky to have a few of those experiences so I am looking forward to expanding on them.

Baltin: What were the two movies you did around the pandemic?

Justice: Pre-pandemic was a movie called Push, but they just changed the name to Trust, and that will be out March 12. It's a relationship drama about a married couple. I play the wife, Matt Daddario plays my husband and it's about infidelity and who's right and who's wrong and temptation and all this stuff. It's very sexy, mysterious and interesting and takes place in the art world in New York. It was super fun. And then the other one I did in South Africa is called Afterlife Of The Party. It's a Netflix film that I'm really excited about. I play a girl who died right before her twenty-fifth birthday. Before she dies she's not the best, she has a lot to work on. And she goes into purgatory and in order for her to move up she needs to go back down to earth and right some wrongs with people from her past. I'm excited.

Baltin: It's a fascinating premise so if you were sent back from purgatory what would be the one thing you'd want to change?

Justice: Oh, man, we're getting deep here. Great question. I think I would just tell myself to worry less, to don't sweat the small things so much and enjoy the little things, which I think I do now to a certain extent. But I think I would stress that even more now, don't take a second for granted.

Baltin: Who would be the artist you'd love to tour with that you would be a good match with and you'd like to watch from the side of the stage every night?

Justice: One of my all-time favorite artists ever is Sara Bareilles. I love her so much. I would definitely never get bored on the side of the stage watching her, that's for sure. It would be an honor to ever tour or do anything alongside her. I would love to write with her one day, that would be incredible. Someone that would maybe be more realistic would be a Julia Michaels. I love her so much, she's such an incredible songwriter. Or Sasha Sloane, love her as well. There are so many people, that's such a hard question. Oh my gosh, Ryan Tedder! I love Ryan Tedder, he is such an amazing performer. One of the best concerts I've ever been to was Sara Barellies and One Republic together at the Greek Theater. Then I'm obsessed with Songland, I freaking love that show. And he's so talented as a songwriter and a producer.

Baltin: Since you are working on a bunch of songs is there a timeline for putting out more music?

Justice: There's not really a specific timeline I'm holding myself to. Right now it's just I have these songs and I'm enjoying doing a single a month. That's the cool thing about being independent is I'm on my own timeline. I'm just gonna do it whenever I want to do it and whenever it feels right to me. I'm liking the way I'm doing it right now and eventually my goal would be to put out an EP or a full album. I don't have a deadline date or when that will be. I would love to do that this year, that would be awesome. But I got some work to do (laughs).