Joshua Bassett has had a rumor- and drama-filled experience with fame since he gained popularity for starring as Ricky Bowen in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (2019–). Bassett was rumored to be dating co-star Olivia Rodrigo throughout the filming of the first season of “HSMTMTS,” with the pair even writing a song together, “Just for a Moment,” for the show. Fans came to the conclusion that Rodrigo and Bassett broke up after he was spotted with former Disney Channel star Sabrina Carpenter. Following the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” which was assumed to be about her relationship with Bassett, he was bombarded with attacks across social media, with the attacks continuing with the release of her album, “SOUR” (2021).
Amidst the drama, similar to Rodrigo, Bassett channeled his emotions into his music. In December 2021, over six months after the release of “SOUR,” Bassett released an EP with three singles “Set Me Free” (2021), “Crisis” (2021) and “Secret” (2021). It was clear in the EP that Bassett was not particularly set on releasing music so soon after the drama surrounding Rodrigo’s album. In “Crisis,” Bassett sings “My label said to never waste a crisis / … / And honestly, I didn’t want to write this,” which was a lyric written around the time “SOUR” was released, but Bassett held off on releasing the song as he did not want to play into the “media storm.” Though the EP was not necessarily bad, it lacked depth.
With his new six-track EP, “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” (2022), Bassett gets personal and sings about a particularly dark time in his life, which is admirable for someone who has faced extreme levels of public scrutiny in the past couple of years. The EP opens with the title track, “Sad Songs In The Hotel Room,” and features a nostalgic Bassett reminiscing on a past relationship. In the lyric “I’m singin’ sad songs in a hotel room / … / Where I once held you,” Bassett shares feelings of loneliness and reveals what inspired the song, being alone in a place that he once shared with his partner.
In the following song “LA”, Bassett describes his thoughts towards the city of Los Angeles and the entertainment industry as a whole. Lyrically, the song is not one of Bassett’s strongest, but it works with the album. “Used To It” continues with Bassett’s theme of heartbreak pop and features Bassett contemplating on why he stayed in a relationship so long, despite the relationship being undoubtedly broken. Coincidentally, this song has a similar meaning to Rodrigo’s “favorite crime” (2021) with both songs featuring matching lyrics. In “favorite crime,” Rodrigo sings, “Know that I loved you so bad / I let you treat me like that,” while in his song Bassett sings, “I can’t be mad / I let you treat me like that.”
“Smoke Slow,” which was released as a single prior to the EP coming out, is one of the best songs on the project. With a clear story of wanting to be with someone who is with somebody else and featuring a powerful bridge, Bassett proves his songwriting abilities. Lyrics like “Addicted to illusions of a love that never was” and “Next to you but I’ll never be close” show us Bassett’s desire to establish a deeper connection with this friend, but ultimately knows he can’t.
In January 2021, Bassett was diagnosed with septic shock and was experiencing heart failure. Bassett spent nine days in the hospital recovering from this incident. “Lifeline” is Bassett’s candid retelling of the event and the time he spent with his mother in the hospital, who is the subject behind the song. The song is pure, raw emotion and undeniably the best song on the album. Bassett sings “Save me, now I’m facing / All my fears of the unknown,” capturing his fear of death and losing his family, as the doctors had told him that had he not gone to the hospital when he did, he could have died. Talking to Billboard, Bassett described the song as “a love letter to her [his mother],” which is clear when he sings “I hope you would know that no one else could ever / Save me.”
“All In Due Time” is the perfect way for Bassett to end his EP and feels like him saying goodbye to all the drama he has experienced. In singing “And these scars’ll be stories I tell / All in due time,” it is apparent Bassett still has some healing to do after facing an unimaginable amount of stress in his career, but he is looking forward and remaining hopeful.
Bassett has been creating music for quite some time now and even without releasing an album, has produced many singles and EPs. “Sad Songs In A Hotel Room” stands out as his best project, as it truly feels like the first time Bassett has been fully vulnerable and open in his music. His prior projects seemed to lack a certain level of authenticity and substance, but evidently, Bassett has finally found his voice.
