BASSETT
Joshua

• 1. Career

Joshua Taylor Bassett is an American actor and singer. He is known for his starring role as high school student Ricky Bowen in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–2023), and for its accompanying soundtracks, for which he won a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for a Children's or Young Teen Program. In music, Bassett was signed to Warner Records in 2020 and has released four extended plays to date.

Career

From 2017 to 2018, Bassett appeared in episodic roles in the television shows: Lethal Weapon, Game Shakers, and Dirty John.

His first substantial role was in early 2018 when he starred as Aidan Peters in the third and final season of the Disney Channel comedy television series Stuck in the Middle. In August 2018, Bassett portrayed the role of Matt in a staged reading of the musical Calvin Berger. The production ran from August 10 through August 12 at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Hollywood, California. In October 2018, it was reported he was cast in his first major role, as the male lead Ricky Bowen, on Disney+'s mockumentary musical drama streaming television series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

In early 2019, Bassett appeared in a guest role–as Linus, a recovering teenage drug addict who is rushed to the hospital after an overdose–on the fifteenth season of the television series Grey's Anatomy. In July 2019, he was featured on American musician August Kamp's song "Evergreen", of the latter's debut studio album, 19: The Musical. In November 2019, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series debuted on Disney+. Bassett co-wrote the duet "Just for a Moment" with co-star Olivia Rodrigo for the series' soundtrack, the latter which was released on January 10, 2020. Both, the debut season and his performance received positive reviews. Shannon Miller of The A.V. Club praised him for his talent, musical ability and "handling of dramatic material", and Kayla Cobb of Decider stated that Bassett has significant romantic chemistry with Rodrigo. Megan Peters of Comicbook wrote that Bassett "will endear fans with his plucky determination to do Troy justice". In December 2019, Bassett appeared in the documentary special, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Special, which was released on Disney+.

In early 2020, Bassett signed with talent and entertainment company United Talent Agency, as well as signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. after signing with Warner Bros. Records, He released his debut single, "Common Sense", on music platforms on April 3, 2020. Later that month, Bassett appeared in the television special, The Disney Family Singalong, in which he performed "We're All In This Together" from High School Musical alongside the film's cast as well as cast members from the Zombies and Descendants franchises. In May 2020, he was nominated for the Favorite Male TV Star category at the 33rd Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Bassett's second single, "Anyone Else", was released on July 16, 2020. In August 2020, he was a guest star participant on Nickelodeon's reality game series Unfiltered. In October 2020, in an interview, Bassett revealed that he had worked on his six track debut EP which would be released soon. In December 2020, Bassett appeared in the holiday special, High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special, in which he performed "The Perfect Gift", an original song from the then-upcoming second season of the series and a cover of "Little Saint Nick" along with Matt Cornett. The special was released on Disney+ while both songs were included in the accompanying soundtrack album which was released in late November. That same month, he revealed in an interview with Good Morning America that his debut EP would be released in early 2021.

On January 14, 2021, Bassett released "Lie Lie Lie", the lead single from his then-upcoming debut EP, with a R3hab remix and an acoustic piano version released the following month. The song peaked in the top thirty on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 and in the top ninety on the OOC UK Singles, becoming his first entry on both charts. Bassett had shared a snippet of the song on Instagram under the title, "I Know", back in late 2019 when the song had not entered production. He followed it up with the second single from his EP, "Only a Matter Of Time", released on January 28, 2021. In February 2021, Limbo, a short film that he had filmed back in 2015, was released on Amazon Prime Video and Vimeo On Demand. Despite the delayed release, the short film marked his film debut. Bassett played Caleb, an estranged young boy who reconnects with his father, the latter who is on a journey of self-reflection. Later that month, he revealed the track listing, cover art, and release date of his EP. On March 12, 2021, Bassett's self-titled debut EP was released. He wrote, co-produced five of six tracks in the record, and played six instruments throughout the body of work. The EP's subject matter centers on heartbreak, love, regret, and betrayal.

That same month, Bassett was once again nominated for the Favorite Male TV Star category at the 34th Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In April 2021, he conducted a one-night virtual concert titled "A Night with Joshua Bassett", in which he performed ten songs, including an unreleased song titled "LA", and a cover of "Drops of Jupiter", backed by a full band from EastWest Studios in Los Angeles. The virtual concert was broadcast live on his website, while tickets were up for sale on his merchandise store. It was also recorded and later released as a concert film on Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu, and Microsoft Movies & TV. In May 2021, Bassett released a single titled "Feel Something". He co-directed the music video for the song with fellow creative specialist Sarah Carpenter. Later that month, he reprised his role as Ricky Bowen in the second season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Bassett wrote the Christmas themed original song, "The Perfect Gift", for the sophomore season's soundtrack. Despite the season receiving a mixed response from critics and viewers, his performance was praised. In October 2021, Billboard placed Bassett in its Billboard 21 Under 21 list, which represented rising artists in the music industry under the age of 21. In December 2021, he released his second EP that consisted of a trio of singles, titled "Set Me Free", "Crisis", and "Secret". The EP was titled after the three songs; Bassett served as a co-creative director for the music videos of the songs.

In February 2022, Bassett released a single titled "Doppelgänger", co-directing the music video for the song with YouTuber and fellow creative Elle Mills. He co-starred along with actor and dancer Ciara Riley Wilson and social media personality Chelsey Amaro in the music video. The following month, he became a brand ambassador for clothing retailer American Eagle's "Members Always: Future Together" campaign alongside Madelyn Cline, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Michael Evans Behling, Coco Gauff, and Mxmtoon. In April 2022, Bassett starred in a supporting role as Anthony, the protagonist's older brother, in the Disney+ original musical comedy film Better Nate Than Ever, directed and written by Tim Federle and based on his 2013 novel of the same name. The film received generally positive reviews. TJ O'Connell stated that his performance as Anthony "truly brings so much emotional weight to this movie. He represents that approval we need that we think is out of reach." while Joshua Axelrod of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Bassett "sells Anthony's growth as he finally begins to understand his little brother". Later that month, he won the award for Favorite Male TV Star (Kids) at the 35th Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his performance as Ricky Bowen in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In May 2022, Bassett announced his eponymous debut concert tour featuring stops in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In July 2022, he appeared as a contestant on the ninth season of Celebrity Family Feud, playing for the nonprofit organization, Make-A-Wish, along with other High School Musical: The Musical: The Series cast members. The same month, Bassett reprised his role as Ricky for the third season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He wrote and produced the original song "Finally Free", which appears in the first episode of the season. Most recently, Bassett starred in the fourth and final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and released the single “Just Love” on September 22, 2023.