Victoria

Justice knew that when she heard her latest single she had some pop-music gold on her hands. The track, aptly titled "Gold," perfectly encapsulates the empowering message the singer/actress is hoping to spread on her in-the-works

debut album, set for release later this year.

"From the moment I heard it, I just thought it was a really fun, catchy pop song, and I also liked how it came from a place of female empowerment," she told MTV News about the song, on which the former "Victorious" star tells her crush to "man up" because she's gold and he should make a move.

She continued, "I'm all about girl power, so that was important for me. I just thought it would be perfect as a summer release. It's a lot of fun to perform live ... For me, I'm not coming from a place of being cocky, it's more female empowerment."

As Justice preps her post-"Victorious" music career, she feels this track not only sets the tone for her album, but has just enough mass appeal to keep all of her fans listening. "I think it's a song that appeals to all ages. And it is, like, a little bit edgier and a little more mature, but not anything that was going to turn off younger fans as well," she said.

She also shows off a sassier, flirtier side in the video, which she dropped last Friday. It features "Teen Wolf" and "Arrow" star Colton Haynes as her love interest. Justice, however, has a more colorful way of describing his role in the clip.

"I love Colton. He's such a sweetheart. I met him when I was 15. We were both auditioning for a Nickelodeon original movie and we both kind of kept in touch over the years. And I just think he's obviously super good-looking, ridiculously good-looking, but he's also such a genuine, nice person and I really just enjoy hanging with him," she said. "We were joking about the fact that he had done two other music videos [My Chemical Romance's "I Don't Love You" and Leona Lewis'

"Trouble"] before, so he's a three-time video ho. So I was very honored to have him as my video ho. I think he rocked it!"

Also rocking it in the clip is Justice's wardrobe, which includes flirty dresses and even one gangsta chic ensemble, which tops Justice's list. "I mean, the wardrobe was really important to me. I'm super passionate about fashion and clothes, so that was one of the most fun parts of the video. I just wanted it to be girly and fun. One of my favorite sections is when I do the rap breakdown and that's a little bit of a sexier look," she said. "I think all around I wanted the feel of the wardrobe to be a little bit more mature, a little bit sexier."