Joshua Basseet is bravely opening up about his past.
In a candid and raw interview with GQ, the 20-year-old star opened up about being sexually abused when he was a young boy. He emotionally revealed:
“I experienced sexual abuse a lot in my childhood.
I didn’t remember that until last year, which is pretty insane. I buried it so far. And when I was a teen, a much older man routinely abused me and I wasn’t able to see it for what it was at the time.”
He went on to share that his new music touches on that very painful part of his past. “Set Me Free” is partly about him processing that whole experience. He said about the song:
“[It’s} an anthem for me and the sort of people who’ve held pain and power over me my whole life… you’ve taken so much from me, but you don’t get to take all of me.”
Joshua stated that he is planning to discuss this chapter of his life further on an episode of an upcoming podcast series that will launch in 2022. He said about the podcast, said to be dedicated to “heavy talks”:
“”[This will] hopefully help people who are experiencing that… [I want it to be] the podcast that I wish I had as a kid.”
He shared that he is “so much stronger than I was before” though he’s very wary about public life:
“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.”
Speaking of this past year, Joshua also touched on how he and Olivia Rodgrigo are these days following the release of her massive hit ‘Driver’s License” which was heavily rumored to be about him and their past relationship.
He said this about his High School Musical co-star and rumored former girlfriend:
“[Olivia Rodrigo] hasn’t spoken to me since ‘drivers license’ came out.”
He added that he had made attempts to try to speak with her.
Joshua opened up more about the song and the effects it has had on his life and well-being:
“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—ing kill him.’
It’s hard to see that and then be living in New York and walking down the street.”
His new music also was his was of “speaking up for myself” now after struggling with not being able to do so for months since Olivia’s song came out:
“It sort of felt like a losing battle… If I try and defend myself in any way, it just felt impossible.
I finally found the courage to speak up for myself. I’m not here to expose people. It was eating me alive, and I couldn’t keep it in anymore.”
