In her new music video, Victoria Justice dances in a purple bikini on the beach in Malibu. “I’m really excited for people to see this new sexy side of me,” she tells PAPER. She does choreography — which she admittedly hopes people will try to replicate on TikTok — at sunset before cozying up to the handsome model and actor Colby Testolin.
“Down,” premiering today on PAPER, marks a whole new era for Justice as she’s recently been dipping back into music after a lengthy hiatus. The 31-year-old has come a long way since starring as Tori Vega on the Nickelodeon hit Victorious, capturing the hearts of millions with her lovable personality and girl-next-door charm. But now as a fully independent artist, she’s ready to take the pop world by storm.
_______________________
“It’s definitely a grind out here, and it’s not easy,” she says. “But I’m really proud of myself for taking control in this way.” Throughout the past two decades, Justice has starred in numerous films and TV shows, but with this new music, things feel a little different. Especially after the tumultuous unfolding of drama surrounding Dan Schneider in this year’s Quiet On Set docuseries, it feels refreshing for an ex-Nickelodeon child star like Justice to take the reins and come back with a vengeance.
Below, we sit down with Justice to discuss her powerful new comeback, Kacey Musgraves and fighting for your artistry.
It’s the eve of your music video release. How are you feeling?
I'm feeling so excited. I'm really proud of the video. It was a process getting here, but now that we're finally here, I love the way that it turned out. I’m really excited for people to see this new sexy side of me that I don't think has been showcased in this way before.
It’s very sexy, beachy, summer vibes. Tell me about the making of “Down” and this video.
As soon as I wrote the song, I knew I loved it. It just had this sexy, whimsical dancing vibe to it. And I've always loved dancing. I've been dancing ever since I was little, just for fun, so I knew I wanted to make a really sexy video with some choreo. I always pictured it on the beach. Obviously, the song is about this steamy connection between these two people, so I really wanted this video to bring that to life. I wanted to find the right choreographer. There were some stumbling blocks along the way, as there always is when you're an independent artist and wholly self-funded, you know? But eventually I landed on the right director. I found the right lead guy. His name is Colby Testolin. He's a model and actor, very good looking. So it was really fun to get to work with him and bring that chemistry to life on screen.
Then I found Luis de Peña, who's our director, and it came together very last minute, which is where the stressful factor came from. The universe sometimes will place these challenges in your way, and you can feel so stressed out and want to just give up, but at the end of the day, it always finds its way of working out. This came together exactly the way that it's supposed to be. We ended up filming two days, both in Malibu. We were just guerilla-style doing the stuff on the beach. Julia Myers is my choreographer, and she's amazing. We really captured the vibe and sexy feeling of the song. I'm excited for people to see it. People haven't seen me do choreography in a while, and I hope that people like it and that it inspires them to want to get on TikTok and try out the dance, or whatever, you know?
Did you watch any choreo videos beforehand as inspiration? Like, any Britney Spears dancing videos?
You know, I actually didn't watch any Britney videos. I think that since I grew up with her, her choreo and loving her is just so ingrained in my subconscious that I didn't even really need to look back and revisit any of it. I mean, I’m obviously a Britney stan, for sure. But yeah, I didn't look in too many places. It was just whatever felt right in my body and with the movement of the song. I didn't want to make it too complicated. I also wanted it to be accessible to other people.
Who’s a current artist that you’re really obsessed with?
One of my top people I love so much is Raye. As a lyricist, I have so much respect for her. She's a great storyteller, and she can be really vulnerable and honest in her music. No matter what she does, it always feels authentic and truthful. That's something I always strive for. And then, of course, like the rest of the world right now I'm obsessed with Chappell Roan. She is such a great new artist, and her voice is magical. She's a great performer, and the music is incredible. It's really cool to see these pop girlies right now between Charli XCX, Chappell and Sabrina. The music's really good. The talent is really there. It's a really fun and exciting time for women in pop music.
This year has definitely been about the women in pop. Who is your go-to artist you play when you’re sad or you wanna just be in your feelings?
I love Kacey Musgraves. She's one of my favorites ever. At my core, I have so much deep appreciation for a true singer songwriter, and it's also some of the music I love to make. So when someone can tell a story with their music and really make you feel something and articulate something in a unique and interesting way, my jaw is on the floor and I'm in awe. Kacey really does that so beautifully.
As you said, you're an independent artist. How have you been navigating these past few years? Do you find yourself thinking about TikTok marketing and virality, or are you more just doing it for yourself and for fun?
It's a combination of both. It is fun, and at the same time, as an independent [artist] right now, that's my best shot at getting my music out to people and reaching new people in an organic way. So it's obviously a huge part of what I'm thinking about. Just always trying to think of new ideas and fun, creative ways to get my music out there. Because like I said, I'm not with a label right now. I am 100% fully self-funded. So it's definitely a grind out here, and it's not easy, but it's really fulfilling to have this creative control and ownership of my music. At the same time, I'm not gonna have access to all the things an artist with a major label is going to have access to right now. So I'm really proud of myself for just pushing through with all of it and doing what I love, and taking control in this way.
I grew up watching you on Nickelodeon. How did being a child star and that whole experience help shape the current you?
I definitely think my work ethic. You know, I've been working since I was so young, and especially when I was doing Victorious, it was pretty nonstop. We would rehearse three days a week, film two [days], or sometimes we would rehearse two and film three if there's a song in the episode. I was learning choreography on the weekend. I was recording in the studio. I was doing photoshoots for all these teen magazines. I was flying here and there to do signings, and meet and greets. So it was very busy. But at the same time, it also developed this desire in me to want to achieve greatness. Whatever I do, I'm gonna pour 100% of myself into it and do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, in my eyes, there's just no point in doing it at all. Also, though, I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and sometimes I need to learn to not overthink things and just let things go. But at the same time, I am very much in the driver's seat of what I do. My hand is involved in every single thing that I put out, from social media to the creative of a video, to the artwork. So probably all of that. But I also need to remind myself sometimes that it's okay to slow down and that it's not just all gonna go away. So it's a really delicate balance.
What else would your fans be excited to know about that’s going on in your world right now?
They'd be excited to know that I've been very focused on music. I've been in the studio working on new music that I'm also very excited about. So I'm working towards putting out an EP and eventually a cohesive album, is the dream. I don't think I'm there quite yet, and I still have more writing and exploration to do there. But yeah, I've been really focused on doing music, and then on the acting side, I have a film that I did in Thailand last year. It's called Depravity with Devon Ross and Taylor John Smith. It’s very dark and sexy and definitely something different for me. I got to really lean into the dramatic thriller side of things more, which was really cool. Then I did a guest spot on Suits: L.A. that should be coming out soon. I've been dabbling in the acting stuff here and there. But really, right now, I've just been focused on the music.
[source]
