Having wrapped her three-season run as an aspiring singer on Nickelodeon’s Victorious earlier this year, Victoria Justice is making the jump to full-fledged solo artist.

Signed to Columbia Records, this week Justice released her debut single, “Gold.” Now I always approach these former kid-star transitions with some trepidation, particularly at this early stage when they’re trying not to alienate an already existing fanbase (see: Miley Cyrus). Being well past pre-teendom, I certainly didn’t expect to enjoy “Gold” as much as I do. But the song’s sunny production makes “Gold” a shiny pop gem and the melodic twist with the title lyric in the chorus is a clever little hook that totally pulled me in.

Talented Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo is just one of several folks credited with mining this piece of “Gold” on display below.

Purchase Victoria Justice – “Gold” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.