"Victorious" Star Ariana Grande Goes Solo

Victorious was a rare breed of show. Sure, it had the cheesy jokes and bad situational humor that is trademark of all Nickelodeon shows, but it had something the others didn't -- it had great music. Backed by Dr. Luke producing tracks left and right, the show was bound to be a hit, and with a new single every three weeks or so, it was a money machine. But what about the supporting characters? Well one of them has decided it's her time to shine. (Re)Meet Ariana Grande.

I am beyond excited that Ariana is now able to take center stage. Victorious's music was very much dominated by Victoria Justice, who is a great singer, but clearly not the best talent wise from the show's ensemble. Ariana was only featured prominently in a few songs throughout the show's run, making this the first time the audience has a real chance to hear what she's got.

And she is serving us straight up 90's RnB Pop. Think TLC, but updated for 2013. This song may not be a club banger, but it is a very addicting track. Ariana shows her vocal range quite well, and makes off with a very solid debut single. Sad to say, as with most tacked on rap bits, the most annoying part of this track is Mac Miller's intro. His mid-song rap improves a bit, showing more talent, but I still much prefer the bulk of the song to his tidbit.

The video is a bit of a different story. Instead of exploring the deeper levels of love, which the song deals with, it is mostly just a montage of the two flirting in front of a plain white background. I don't know if she had a big budget for this, but seeing as she is backed by Nickelodeon (complete with her own spin-off show coming later this year), Id say she probably has the cash flow. The video just feels lazy with poor art direction.

Verdict: Great song, lacking video.

Grab the track on iTunes.