Image of Bassett at the 2022 KCA’s from Just Jared
Hi guys, this week’s blog post is all about Joshua Basset, one of my favorite celebrities. Bassett is truly using his platform to make a difference in the lives of others.
“It’s been a fucking year,” sings 21-year-old Joshua Bassett about the year 2021 in his song “Crisis.”
Bassett became known for his role in Disney Channel’s High School Musical the Musical: The Series. However, at the beginning of last year, he become known for something much different.
“It’s not about what happens to you, it’s about how you react to it,” explains Bassett in an interview with Radio Host Zach Sang. In January of 2021, Bassett was hospitalized for septic shock and heart failure. The doctors at the hospital told him that if he hadn’t had checked in exactly when he did, he wouldn’t have lasted another 12 hours.
The cause of Bassett’s diagnosis: STRESS
According to Healthline, “septic shock can be caused by a drop in blood pressure, which can lead to heart failure.” A few days before his hospitalization, his world turned upside down when the song Driver’s License was released by his HSM co-star, songstress Olivia Rodrigo. The song has received over a billion streams. The song is rumored to about the pairs alleged romantic relationship.
After rumors started circulating surrounding the song on social media, Bassett quickly became known as the boy who broke Rodrigo’s heart. Fans began speculating about the pair’s relationship on social media, speculations that Bassett couldn’t seem to escape in 2021.
After the song was released, Bassett recevived a lot of negative attention online. In his song “Crisis,” he mentions how he started receiving death threats after the song was released.
“I would see Tik Toks with 50 million views and 10 million likes saying, “If I ever see that kid on the street, I am going to fucking kill him,” says Bassett in an interview with GQ. ” It’s hard to see that and the be living in New York and walking down the street.”
Bassett’s stress was likely caused by the controversy surrounding the song. After physically recovering, he spent most of the year emotionally “processing,” writing songs for his own catharsis, while choosing to forego issuing a public response to the controversy until the end of the year.
After a year of unexpected events, Bassett is now opening up. He is using his platform to advocate for change and to inspire other young people.
” Even if only 1 person is better off because of my art, I’m going to keep putting it out,” says Bassett in an interview.
At the end of 2021, he released three new songs: Crisis, Secret, and Set Me Free. “Crisis” seemingly references the public controversy surrounding Driver’s License. In the song, he sings about an ex who relies on a media narrative to gain publicity at his expense.
“You can’t write a song until you go through the emotional processing of it,” explains Bassett. Bassett spent most the year emotionally processing more than just the controversy.
In an interview with GQ, Bassett recently opened up about how he experienced sexual abuse as a child and how he is just now coming to terms with it. After he opened up about it, people started shaming him online, saying he “deserved it,” and doubting the fact that a man can even be sexually abused.
According to the Center for Disease Control, “nearly 1 in 4 men in the U.S experience some form of sexual abuse in their lifetime,” showing how sexual abuse against men is more common than many people believe. Reuters Health reveals that men are often less likely to report sexual abuse for fear that they will not be believed or be perceived as less masculine.
Instead of allowing the negative comments to discourage him from speaking out, Bassett is now working to break the stigma behind opening up about trauma, sexual abuse, and mental health to inspire other people of all ages to do the same.
He explains how abuse is often a cycle. “Alot of times people who are more inclined to commit abuse have experienced abuse themselves,” explains Bassett. “Until we break the chain and have space to say this happened to you, it was wrong, you know it was wrong, and you’re valid. That’s all we need to be saying and having space for. The more we can do that, the more people can actually process and say what they’ve been through.”
Bassett is working to break the cycle and stigma. He donates 100% of the proceeds from all of his merch to mental health organizations (Teen Line, Jack.org, Bring Change 2 Mind, and The Sunrise Movement). This year, he will be launching a podcast entitled “Taboo Talk,” where he will be talking about traditionally taboo subjects such as mental health and sexual abuse.
“Once you talk about a taboo, you break it,” explains Bassett.
Bassett is an artist who is using his platform to make the world a better place. You can listen to his music on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
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