Joshua Bassett is revving up some more Drivers License drama.
Few men have faced as much musical heat post-breakup as Joshua — thanks to Olivia Rodrigo‘s massive hit, he joined a short list with Jake Gyllenhaal in All Too Well and Pete Davidson in thank u next. The young actor has spoken about being Olivia’s muse a few times, but on Friday, he finally responded to Sour with his own musical interpretation of the Disney couple’s relationship drama.
Related: Olivia Packs On PDA With Her New (Older) Man!
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star released a new EP, which includes the song Crisis, a direct response to all the drama that followed Drivers License. On the track, he sings that “it’s cool if you want me to play the bad guy,” but adds:
“Half the s**t you’re sayin’ is only half true / You’re messin’ with my life as a career move / I can’t help but wonder why you won’t make it end / Guess you would never dare / You would never dare to wastе a crisis.”
Damn! He’s really painting her as an attention-hungry sociopath!
And in the bridge, the 20-year-old flips the popular narrative that he dumped Olivia for Sabrina Carpenter:
“Weren’t you the one who left in the first place? / Weren’t you the one who called things off? / Was it an act to love me or an act to hate me?”
Ch-ch-check out the music video (below):
Joshua elaborated on the new tune in an interview with GQ. Referencing a line that his ex kept “fannin’ the fire for the headlines” leading to his receiving death threats, he shared:
“I would see TikToks with like 50 million views and 10 million likes saying, ‘If I ever see that kid on the street, I’m going to f**king kill him.’ It’s hard to see that and then be living in New York and walking down the street.”
He added:
“I got a protector screen on my phone so people can’t look at it when I’m at a coffee shop. There are certain people who I can’t hang out with in public because they’re too loud. … I feel like a lot of this last year people haven’t seen me as a human being.”
The song also mentions his record company encouraging him to take advantage of the “crisis.” The track about “all the crazy PR over the year” was actually written six months ago, but the songwriter told the outlet he waited to release it until he “found the courage to speak up for myself.” Capitalizing on the “media storm” like his label wanted him to “sort of felt like a losing battle,” he opined:
“If I try and defend myself in any way, it just felt impossible.”
Innerestingly, he claimed Olivia “hasn’t spoken to me since Drivers License came out,” despite the fact that they had filmed HSMTMTS together following that single, an experience he previously described to Entertainment Tonight as “really great.”
Though Joshua apparently tried reaching out to his co-star, it seems their young romance is in the rear-view mirror for both of them. He explained to GQ:
“People don’t realize how long ago that was. It’s not as recent as it seems. I’m a completely different person now… I’m not here to expose people. It was eating me alive, and I couldn’t keep it in anymore.”
Related: Joshua Confirms He’s Not Straight After Viral Harry Styles Comments!
Right now, his dating life is “non-existent.” Asked if he was ready to fall in love, he replied:
“I’m not at the moment. Ultimately, being in a relationship is a responsibility. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’ve only had three [relationships], despite what it seems. … I think that’s something that’s been good about this last little bit: I’m good on my own. I don’t need somebody else.”
Well, sounds like it’s a new era for both these exes. We’re excited to see what they do next.
Check out Joshua’s other new songs, Secret and Set Me Free, below:
[Image via Joshua Bassett/Olivia Rodrigo/YouTube]
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