Make It in America

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

"Make It in America"
Picture of a young woman smiling
Single by Victorious cast featuring Victoria Justice
from the EP Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show
ReleasedMay 15, 2012
Genre
Length3:20
Label
Songwriters
ProducerMartin Johnson
Victorious singles chronology
"Take a Hint"
(2012) 		"Make It in America"
(2012)
Victoria Justice singles chronology
"Take a Hint"
(2012) 		"Make It in America"
(2012) 		"Gold"
(2013)
Music video
"Make It in America" on YouTube

"Make It in America" is a song performed by the Victorious cast featuring American actress and singer Victoria Justice from the show's debut extended play (EP), Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show (2012). It was co-written by Justice and Martin Johnson. The track was released as the extended play's second and final single on May 15, 2012, through Columbia Records in association with Nickelodeon. The song was featured in the show, where Tori Vega (Justice) performs it during a major award show.

Musically, "Make It in America" is an upbeat pop, pop rock, and country pop track with lyrics about a person following after their dreams. The song received generally positive reviews from critics, who mostly praised its catchiness. It peaked at number one on the US Kid Digital Song Sales chart. An accompanying music video was released in 2012 and portrays Justice and the Victorious cast driving through Los Angeles. Justice performed the track live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2012.

Background and release

[edit]

In February 2012, actress and singer Victoria Justice revealed during an interview with Celebuzz that she had written a song for the show and expressed her excitement for fans to hear it.[1] "Make It in America" was first released as a single on May 15, 2012, through Columbia Records in association with Nickelodeon.[2][3][4] The song then appeared on the American Nickelodeon television sitcom Victorious on May 19 in a one-hour special titled "Tori Goes Platinum".[5][6][7] In the episode, a famous music producer selects Tori Vega (Justice) to perform an opening song for a major award show, but only under the condition that he can completely revamp her image. She performs "Make It in America" during the episode.[5][8] It was added as the first track to the show's first extended play (EP) Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show on June 5, 2012.[9][10] The song was released as a single in Australia to radio airplay on November 1, 2012, and digital download on November 9 by Sony Music Australia ahead of a press and promotional tour from Justice scheduled in the country for that month.[11]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

Justice provides the lead vocals and is credited as a writer on the track. Martin Johnson contributes background vocals and also serves as a writer, producer, and programmer. Martin added acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and percussion, with Jon Keefe on drums. The track was mastered by Stephen Marcussen and mixed by Miles Walker. Engineering and programming were handled by Kyle Moorman, with Eric Bisgyer serving as assistant engineer on "Make It in America".[12]

Justice explained in an interview that the she was inspired to write "Make It in America" after hearing her mother on the phone talking about someone "breaking big and making it in America", a phrase that stuck with her and inspired the song's title, which she felt carried a powerful message.[7][13] She stated in another interview that the track was "a song that I'm very proud of".[14] Music critics have described "Make It in America" as an upbeat pop, pop rock, and country pop track.[15][16][17][18] The track has lyrics centered on a person dreaming about success in the movie industry while encouraging others to work hard to follow their goals and chase after their dreams.[16][18][19]

Reception

[edit]

"Make It in America" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Alyssa Melillo for the Long Island Press opined that "Make It in America" was one of the songs that "set an energetic high bar for the show".[20] Michelle of Twist called the track a "hot new song".[21] The staff of J-14 declared "Make It in America" was a "sure-to-be hit song".[22] The joint website of Bop and Tiger Beat gave a positive review of the track, deeming it as "pretty powerful" while stating that they are "absolutely loving" the song.[13] Heather Phares, writing for AllMusic, commended "Make It in America", stating that Justice's "commanding vocals are the main attraction".[23] Jessica Dawson for Common Sense Media commented that the song is a "fresh break from the usual cookie-cutter synth-pop, and even shows that Justice's voice is well suited for another genre".[15]

The staff of Perez Hilton.com labeled the track as "summery" and stated that it "would make a great addition to a road trip playlist".ref name="perez">"Exclusive: Victoria Justice's Make It In America Video Premiere! Watch It Here First!". Perez Hilton.com. May 18, 2012. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2025.</ref> Writing for MovieWeb, Israel Olorunnisola placed "Make It in America" at number ten on his "Victorious: 10 Songs You Forgot Were Awesome" list, describing it as a "gem" and mentioning that the song's "catchy chorus and upbeat melody makes it a track not to dismiss".[16] Olorunnisola opined the track "showcases Justice's vocal abilities and proves her versatility as an artist".[16] Megan Gaertner and Allison Kane for Her Campus placed the song at number five on their "The Best Songs from Victorious" list, describing "Make It in America" as "really sweet" while also calling it "really nice and heartwarming".[19] Commercially, "Make It in America" peaked at number one on the US Kid Digital Song Sales chart.[24]

Promotion

[edit]

A music video for "Make It in America" was first released in May 2012.[13][25][26] The video was later uploaded to the official Victorious YouTube channel on September 20, 2012.[27] The music video features Justice and the Victorious cast driving in a convertible through Los Angeles, making stops at numerous landmarks, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Griffith Observatory.[13][16] The staff of M Magazine described the music video as "super-summery".[28] Justice performed the song live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2012,[29][30][31][32] and also sang it during her first solo tour in the United States in late 2012.[33][34][35]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Make It in America"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Kid Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[24] 1

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Make It in America"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various May 15, 2012
Columbia [36]
Australia November 1, 2012 Radio airplay Sony [11]
November 9, 2012 Digital download

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Chung, Gabrielle (February 13, 2012). "Celebrity Mailbag: Victoria Justice Talks New Music on 'Victorious (Video)". Celebuzz. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  2. ^ "Make It in America (feat. Victoria Justice) on Spotify". Spotify (US). Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  3. ^ "Premiere: Victoria Justice". Nylon. May 11, 2012. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  4. ^ "Twist Music: Victoria Justice's 'Make it in America'". Twist. May 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Exclusive: New Lyrics From Victorious!". Seventeen. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  6. ^ Cubria, Kaitlin (May 14, 2012). "Exclusive Premiere of Victoria Justice's New Victorious Single Cover Art!". Teen.com. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Michaels, Wendy (May 18, 2012). "Exclusive: Victoria Justice Talks 'Make It In America,' 'Victorious' Special 'Tori Goes Platinum'". Cambio. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  8. ^ "Hour-long Victorious special 'Tori Goes Platinum' airs tonight!". M Magazine. May 19, 2012. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  9. ^ "Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  10. ^ "Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show on Spotify". Spotify (US). Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Knox, David (October 23, 2012). "Victoria Justice heading down under". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show/Credits". Tidal. June 5, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d "Watch: Victoria Justice's New Music Video!". Bop and Tiger Beat. May 25, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Wedel, Mark (September 12, 2012). "Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice looks to broaden appeal beyond teen audiences". Kalamazoo Gazette. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Dawson, Jessica (June 12, 2012). "Victorious 2.0 (More Music from the Hit TV Show)". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d e Olorunnisola, Israel (March 19, 2023). "Victorious: 10 Songs You Forgot Were Awesome". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  17. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (September 17, 2012). "Victoria Justice: 21 Under 21 (2012)". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Listen: Victoria Justice's New Song!". Bop and Tiger Beat. May 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Gaertner, Megan; Kane, Allison (November 8, 2019). "The Best Songs from Victorious". Her Campus. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  20. ^ Melillo, Alyssa (July 24, 2013). "Big Time Rush Pumps Teen Energy Into Jones Beach". Long Island Press. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  21. ^ Michelle (May 17, 2012). "Twist News: New Deets About The Victorious Soundtrack!". Twist. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  22. ^ "J-14 Win It: 'Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show' Soundtrack". J-14. May 10, 2012. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  23. ^ Phares, Heather (June 5, 2012). "Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show [Original TV Soundtrack] Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Victoria Justice Chart History (Kids Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  25. ^ Hasaka, Amanda (June 5, 2012). "Behind the Scenes of Victoria Justice's 'Make it in America' Shoot (Exclusive Photos)". Celebuzz. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  26. ^ "Exclusive: 'Make It In America' Behind The Scenes Video; Get Fifth Mystery Number in 'Victorious Locker Countdown'". Cambio. June 4, 2012. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  27. ^ "Victorious Cast - Make It in America ft. Victoria Justice". YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  28. ^ "Check out Victoria Justice's 'Make It In America' music video!". M Magazine. May 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  29. ^ Michaels, Wendy (May 15, 2012). "Connecting Next With Victoria Justice: Send Qs and Check Out Her New Song". Cambio. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  30. ^ "J-14 Video: Victoria Justice Performs 'Make It In America' on 'The Ellen Show' + New 'Victorious' Clip". J-14. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  31. ^ "New video: Victoria Justice performs 'Make It In America' on Ellen!". M Magazine. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  32. ^ Michelle (May 16, 2012). "Twist Video: Watch Victoria Justice Perform 'Make It in America'!". Twist. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  33. ^ "Victoria Justice Announces First Solo Tour". Red Light Management. June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  34. ^ McAlpin, Autumn (August 3, 2012). "Victoria Justice thrills kids of all ages at Pacific". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  35. ^ "Victoria Justice Announces 'Make It In America' Solo Tour". J-14. June 18, 2012. Archived from the original on August 17, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  36. ^ "Make It in America (feat. Victoria Justice) on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved January 2, 2025.