Track Review: Stay // Victoria Justice

It was almost ten years ago that Victorious first hit television screens. The sitcom spawned mainstream names such as singer Ariana Grande, record producer Leon Thomas III, Dynasty actress Liz Gillies, among others. The series lead was Victoria Justice, who played Tori Vega. Justice’s music career was once tied and defined by her as an actress, then. Her roles included other Nickelodeon shows such as Zoey 101 and iCarly. She was even in Disney Channel for an episode of Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Justice had multiple singles under the Victorious umbrella; the likes of ‘Freak the Freak Out’ and ‘Beggin’ on Your Knees’. Outside of that, she had mild success in her music ventures with the release of her debut solo single, ‘Gold’. Since then, she has fallen off of the musical radar, opting to pursue acting roles outside of Nickelodeon. That is until December of 2020, when she announced a new single, ‘Treat Myself’.

Regaining her spark, Justice recently released a new track titled ‘Stay’. It’s soft and slow, with minimalistic instrumentals, favouring the steady pace of percussions. This enhances her vocals, creating warm and soothing tones guided by her husky delivery. Just slightly shy of seduction, and desperate in parts, Justice expresses how much she’s grown with absolute caution. Like a more mature version of ‘Tell Me that You Love Me’-another one of her songs from Victorious -’Stay’ outlines intimate bedroom sessions, pining, and drunk confessions. Quite a treat just in time for Valentine’s Day, with the song released on 12 February.

Sometimes her voice shakes, and the lyrics and production remain generic. While an obvious improvement from her previous releases ‘Gold’ and ‘Shake’, Justice still needs a little more edge to truly make her mark within the music industry.

Words by Mae Trumata

Originally published at https://www.indiependent.co.uk on February 19, 2021.