This year has been very busy for Victoria Justice, so when we got a chance to catch up with her, First News had lots of questions ready…

You sing, dance and act, but are you similar in any other ways to your character in Victorious?

Yes, she is very loyal to the friends she has and has made. She would do anything to help them out in mostly any situation. I’m kind of like that too. I feel like I am a very loyal friend and very trustworthy, so I think we’re very similar in that respect.

The show is very musical – did you have any professional training?

No, when I first moved to Los Angeles, I moved there from Hollywood in Florida, which is where I am from. I was enrolled in this performing arts middle school and it’s a pretty prestigious school here as they only accept a small amount of the people who audition. I was very lucky to be accepted and I had dancing, acting and singing every day for an hour, so I got a lot of experience and training there.

Which do you prefer?

It’s such a hard question because I really love something about each. I love acting, I really love being able to play different characters and there’s something really gratifying about being in a scene and absolutely knowing you’ve given it your all. But singing and performing is really exciting and it’s kind of new to me as well because I haven’t been doing it all that long.

Do you remember your first public performance?

I’ve done small performances ever since I was little. I took tap classes and ballet classes, and was in a little theatre programme too when I was younger. So I was always in dance recitals and things, and I love it!

Would you like to release an album in the future?

Yes, 100%. I have a record deal with Sony alongside my show, so after the first season of filming I got to write with a bunch of amazing producers. I wrote over 20 songs and absolutely fell in love with songwriting. I was a little nervous to do it at first, but as soon as I started doing it and spent hours and hours in the studio every day, I just fell in love with it and time would fly by.

Are you nervous about performing on your own?

I am a little nervous because I’ve never really done anything like that by myself, but I am also really excited. I think it’s going to be an amazing experience and I think I am probably going to get really addicted to it and want to do it all the time.

Are any of the songs going on the show?

Yes, one of the songs I wrote last summer is in one of the episodes. We just filmed it and I do a performance to it in the rain. It’s going to be a really cool episode. It was really exciting, I was really proud of the song and I liked it, so when they listened to it and said they wanted to put it in the show I was really excited.

What is it like being a part of Victorious?

It’s just a really fun environment. I love comedy, I love getting to do little bits of physical comedy and stuff. We have to do some crazy stuff on the show and wear weird costumes in weird situations and that is so much fun.

Is there one scene you’ve filmed that has been your favourite?

There has been a lot of stuff. One episode we had to dress in a different food costume. That was pretty funny. It’s always different from being out in the rain in freezing cold weather to getting very messy. I had to wear a zombie mask for an entire episode once, which was interesting. There’s always new stuff, which makes it exciting every week.

Do you like getting dressed up for big awards ceremonies?

Oh yes! I mean, I love getting to pick out an outfit and doing that whole thing. I can’t wait to pick out a dress and get my hair and make-up done. It’s going to be really fun this year, I can’t wait for it.

What else is happening for you this year?

We just wrapped season two so I’m going to get a bit of a break, although I’m not sure how long for. I really want to start doing films this year. I’ll also be working on music a lot so I’ll be writing music, recording tracks and working hard on the Victorious soundtrack to make sure that goes well. Then after that it will be focusing on my solo stuff.

iParty is available to watch on Nickelodeon on Friday 7 October at 6pm