Victoria Justice Covers MARIE CLAIRE’s ‘The Music’ Issue

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Victoria Justice covers MARIE CLAIRE’s first ever ‘The Music’ Issue which just went live. In the piece Justice opens up about being a child star, her relationship with Dan Schneider and launching her music career as an independent artist.

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On ‘Quiet on Set’ and her time at Nickelodeon: “Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people, and there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly.”

On Dan Schneider admitting he owes apologies to many people: “I would say I’m definitely one of the people on that list.”

On Dan Schneider’s behavior and making her career: “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. After watching his apology, I think he recognizes that he did a lot of things wrong, and I think if he could step back into a time machine, he would do a lot of things differently.”

On her song, “Raw” that debuted in April: “The lyrics are about wanting that sort of authentic, deep condition, and wanting someone to see you for all sides of yourself. In a way, it’s empowering to be able to sing those lyrics.

On her drive to record music again: “Music was always something that I loved and was a part of me, and I knew that eventually I was going to come back to it. My goal is that I want whoever’s listening to it to feel something from it—whether that’s something emotional and heartbreaking or feeling sexy and empowered.”

On being an independent artist vs being a part of a big label: “As gratifying as it is to have complete creative control, I would be lying if I said this route wasn’t more difficult in many ways. It can be challenging doing all the things that the different departments at a label would do for you, on your own.”

“Being independent is hard because I’m fully self-funded. I’m not gonna get the major label push, or get on the playlist spots that all the other artists get. There’s pros and cons to it.”

On the importance of Music for Justice: “There’s a lot of crazy shit that goes on in this world, and a lot of people struggle in so many ways. If I can do my small part to help someone out or make them feel better or empowered—whether that be my music or just being kind to someone on the internet—I want to do that.”

[Photo Credit: Agata Serge for Marie Claire Magazine]

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