Victoria Justice Says It Was 'Nice' to 'Slow Down' After Teen Stardom in 'Zoey 101' and 'Victorious' (Exclusive)

The singer-actress, who is teaming up with Arm & Hammer to launch Power Sheets laundry detergent, opens up to PEOPLE exclusively about her career journey and the lessons she's learned along the way.

Victoria Justice became a household name as a teenager, thanks to her roles on popular Nickelodeon shows. Zoe 101 And Victorious. In addition to starring in films, she was also building a career as a singer-songwriter, releasing her debut single “Gold” in 2013, outside of her musical efforts on Victorious.

But the former child star — who is currently teaming up with Arm & Hammer for the launch of its Power Sheets laundry detergent — became more selective in the work she sought after Nickelodeon. She performed on MTV Eye candyFox television The Rocky Horror Picture Show special and a series of films, including last year's Netflix thriller The tutoropposite Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp. However, his music career came to an abrupt end.

“I definitely took a break from music. I had a deal that wasn't working anymore…for a lot of reasons. And so I asked to get out of that deal,” Justice exclusively told PEOPLE .

She continues: “I think I was also very busy for a lot of my young life, that it was quite nice, after all that was over, to take some time to focus more on what I want to do, slow down in a way and just be more selective about what I want to do and when I want to do it.

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As Justice begins her musical comeback, she has taken control and charted a new path for herself.

“I think music will always be a part of me and who I am and what I do. So I think even in this time where I wasn't actively making music and wasn't in the studio as much, I'm I always think about music,” explains the “Too F*ckin’ Nice” singer, now an independent artist. “I'm always writing down ideas on my phone, song titles and melody ideas, and [sharing them in] my voice memos. So it’s still part of me. But I think even those years when I wasn't making music, even those life experiences, all of that comes into play in music now. I also think that ultimately music is something very personal to me.”

Justice believes that in order for her to “express a song properly or really sell a song, it has to feel authentic to her.” “I feel like now I'm really in a place where I feel like my music is very authentic. I feel like I'm saying the things that I want to say. I feel like feeling like I'm expressing myself in exactly the same way that I want to, and it's been really fun to make the music that I want to make,” she shares.

At 31 years old, the Fun size The actress is still “learning” many lessons about life. “But I think as I get older, the more I appreciate the feeling of not worrying about the little things,” she says.

“I feel like at the end of the day there are so many little stresses in life, or even big stresses in life, or things that can go wrong, or things where you say, 'Oh, I didn't see it happening like that.' way,” or “I thought it would have happened differently,” or whatever,” she continues. “But I feel like at the end of the day, the most important thing is your health and your health. my family and people I love. And so for me, everything else is just little things.”

Related: Victoria Justice Puts a Brave Face While Getting Her First Tattoo in Malibu: Check Out Her Fresh Ink!

Although Justice is in a completely different phase of her personal and professional life, her roots in child stardom still run deep. She even maintained close friendships with her former Zoe 101 And Victorious castmates.

Even though she wasn't able to participate in last year's Paramount+ Zoe 102 movie because it “didn't work out timing-wise” for her, Justice said, “I was supporting them. I was watching the movie when I came out. I was texting Jamie [Lynn Spears] and the rest of the cast.”

“We all had a group chat and I was so excited for everyone,” she continues. “I went to the premiere they had in LA, and it was really nice to reconnect with the girls and some of my old cast members.”

Regarding the Victorious “We all have a group chat that we sometimes come to and discuss things,” she shares.

“It’s always fun when it happens, and it gets really active, and we all participate in it,” she adds. “It's like old times, which is really cute. But yeah, they're all great. We all have to get together, that's for sure.”

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Beyond singing and acting, Justice has made it a priority to align himself with efforts that are authentic to him. So when it partnered with Arm & Hammer to launch its Power Sheets laundry detergent – ​​a product that eliminates the mess and unfriendly aspect of plastic bottled detergent – ​​it was a no-brainer for many reasons.

“Arm & Hammer has been around forever. I feel like it's a very well-known and trusted brand. I've used their toothpaste since I was a kid. It's the only brand I use, [even for] also laundry detergent,” she explains. “When I found out they were coming out with Power Sheets, I was like, 'Oh, that's great.' “

“I try to live a somewhat environmentally friendly life,” she continues. “The fact that the power sheets come in this recyclable box, there's no more plastic bottle waste, you don't have to lug around a heavy bottle. There's no more damage.”

Justice adds, “I really feel like in the future we'll all just use Power Sheets. I don't think plastic bottles will even be used as laundry detergent anymore.”

Related: The 'Zoey 101' Cast: Where Are They Now?

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In the meantime, Justice will continue to enjoy life, which has been filled with many “exciting” activities.

“I went to the Cannes Film Festival. It was so exciting. It was my first time going. I just had an amazing time. It was so much fun. I got to dress up, wearing beautiful dresses and doing all the things, it was just a whirlwind and now I'm home and I have a song coming out,” she says, referring to her song “Hate the World Without. You (Maddy's Song)”, which is about her younger sister Madison Grace. “There’s a lot of exciting things happening.”

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