Victoria Justice “slowed down” when it came to her career after her teenage stardom years in Nickelodeon. “I think I’d been so busy also for so much of my younger life, that it was kind of nice after all of that was kind of over to take some time to just focus more on what it is I want to do, slow down in certain ways and just kind of be more selective about what I want to do and when I want to do it,” the 31-year-old shared to People in an interview published on Monday, June 3.
Her statements come shortly after she shared that she was thankful for her break into Hollywood, despite the allegations made toward Nickelodeon producer, Dan Schneider. “I’m not condoning any of his behavior…At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one: I met him when I was 12 years old, and he’s the person that gave me this big break. He completely changed my life. Most likely, I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it weren’t for him, and for him seeing something in me. For that I will always be grateful,” Justice said to Marie Claire.
Shortly after the Zoey 101 and Victorious days were over, Victoria worked on very few projects such as Fox’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Netflix’s The Tutor, and MTV’s Eye Candy but did not focus on music, which was a big part of her television years. “I definitely took a break from music. I had a deal that just wasn’t working out anymore…for a lot of reasons. And so, I asked to be out of that deal,” voiced the actress during her latest interview with People.
Though there was a halt to music in her life, she will never give it her back. “I think music is always going to be a part of me, and who I am, and what I do. So I think even during that time when I wasn’t actively making music and in the studio as much, I’m always thinking about music…I’m always writing down ideas on my phone, song titles and melody ideas, and [sharing them in] my voice memos. So it’s always a part of me. But I think even those years when I wasn’t making music, even those life experiences, that all comes into play into the music now. I also think at the end of the day, music is such a personal thing for me,” Victoria expressed to the outlet.
The Nickelodeon alum is working on new music but wants to make it true to who she is. She explained, “I feel like now, I’m really in a place where I feel like my music, it feels very authentic. I feel like I’m saying the things that I want to say. I feel like I’m expressing myself exactly the way that I want to, and it’s just been really fun to make the music that I want to.”
Despite the big transformation and farewell from her young life, the “Beggin’ On Your Knees” singer confessed that she is part of groupchats and remains in touch with her fellow co-stars from Zoey 101 and Victorious. “I went to the premiere [Zoey 102] thing that they had in L.A., and it was really nice to reconnect with the girls and with some of my old cast members.”
She added,”That’s [Victorious groupchat] always fun when that goes off, and gets really active, and we’re all chiming in…It’s like old times, which is really cute. But yeah, they’re all great. We’re all due for a reunion, for sure.”