Victoria Justice & Toby Gad Release a Gorgeous Tropical House Remix of ‘Raw’

Victoria Justice is a world-renowned actress, model, and singer, best known for her roles on the Nickelodeon Shows Zoey 101 and Victorious. She is originally from Hollywood, Florida and completed school early in order to focus on her career aspirations. Her pop music career has taken off in recent years, gathering millions of streams on multiple platforms.

Her newest release, “Raw” is a mellow, guitar-driven Pop ballad (with hints of R&B) that is PERFECT for a poolside party or Karaoke Session. Snaps and mellow drums and bass make up the rhythm section of “Raw.” Victoria Justice’s vocals gracefully dance alongside the instruments, flawlessly shifting in tone throughout. A constant (and confident) smile can be heard in her cadence and delivery. Subtle giggles and other ad-libs greatly add to this track’s personality and lyrical content. A Tropical House Remix of “Raw” recently dropped on June 14th, in collaboration with Toby Gad (which will be broken down after the lyrics). Toby Gad is a German-born producer who currently resides in Los Angeles. He has helped to write and/or produce MAJOR hits such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie and “All of Me” by John Legend. He is very qualified and was a great collaborative choice on Victoria Justice’s part. Well done!

“Raw’s” lyrics contain themes of accepting one’s flaws and imperfections, as well as loving someone at their best (AND worst.) “Raw” is a deep and honest track in which Victoria Justice opens up about being caught off guard by a potential love interest, unable to get this individual out of her head.

“Tell me how’d you find your way under my skin. I wasn’t ready yet to let somebody in. Been thinking ’bout you way more than I should have been.”

In addition, she admits to struggling with “being vulnerable” and is “nervous about starting to get comfortable” with this love interest. She fantasizes about what could be and making this work with this person this time around. This implies that she has been involved with this person before, but does not elaborate on how things ended previously. Leaving the listener open to speculation. A fantastic creative decision. She informs the romantic interest that if things are to go further, they have to guarantee that they will stick by her side no matter what.

“Through my awkward, my messy. My sad and all my sexy. My anxious, my lovely. My weird and all my ugly. All the pieces that make me. My sanity, my crazy.” She intently asks the interest, “Would you take me with my flaws,” and admits that she is “not perfect, but I’ll give you – raw.” This line shows that she is comfortable with her imperfections and will be her authentic self around this romantic partner if things progress. Likely reciprocating this deep form of love and acceptance in return. The next line shows that she is throwing caution to the wind, ready to embrace the potential relationship with open arms. Victoria Justice then brags that she would be “showing (the romantic partner) the colors no one’s seen before,” demonstrating that she is confident about being different than the potential partner’s previous relationships. The lyrics conclude with her expressing a desire to inform the world about how happy and content she would be if they were together. The chorus repeats two more times before “Raw” concludes.

Now that the lyrical content has been covered, It is time to move on to the instrumentals behind the Tropical House remix of “Raw.” The remix begins with a tropical drum fill, electronic flute effects, and melodic vocal samples. Splashy synths and bass add to the tropical mood of the remix. Complementing Victoria Justice’s vocals very well. The clap effects from the original are substituted for tropical drum fills and a consistent electronic drum beat. Meanwhile, the claps are back and better than ever, providing support for the backing beat and instrumentals. Victoria Justice’s vocals intertwine with the instrumentals, creating a tightly-produced and well-flowing song. Toby Gad’s Tropical House production style helps to emphasize the “Raw” emotion and passion behind the vocals, lyrics, and original track. This shift in genre keeps what is great about the original, while adding fun twists. The Tropical House remix slightly ups the tempo while introducing beach party vibes. Meanwhile, Victoria Justice’s lyrics and cadence create a beautiful tapestry in which Tony Gad can fully express his creativity. You can tell that the two collaborators worked hard to perfect every detail of this remix. I have been a fan of Victoria Justice since I first saw her in Zoey 101 and was ELATED to find her music through her Instagram page. I am beyond honored to write about such a talented actress, singer, and performer. Check out both songs above and follow the artists’ social links below.

Connect With Victoria Justice: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud

Connect with Toby Gad: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud