Joshua Bassett
Sarah Barlow and Stephen SchofieldAfter teasing new music for the past two weeks, Joshua Bassett has delivered on his on promise. The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star released three new tracks — “Crisis,” “Secret” and “Set Me Free” — on Friday (Dec. 3).
Bassett opened up about the trio of songs in a press release, revealing that the songs came from a difficult period of his life. “While it’s been one of the most challenging periods in my lifetime by far; it has ultimately led to immense growth,” he said. “I’ve been up, down, and everywhere in between… Each of these songs pinpoint a different moment in time, in my processing.”
On “Crisis,” the 20-year-old talks of being burned by a former lover in the aftermath of a break up. “But don’t you dare act like I didn’t love you/ Don’t go thinkin’ that I didn’t hurt, too/ Don’t you ever wonder if I’m okay after all you put me through?/ Half the shit you’re saying’s only half-true/ Messin’ with my life as a career move,” he sings in the chorus.
Bassett revealed that all earnings from “Crisis” will be donated to mental health organizations in perpetuity, to help others with their own healing journeys.
“My hope is that those going through similar things feel heard and seen and can step closer to healing. While it’s important to express my truth in art, I do not wish ill will on anyone, nor do I endorse using art as fuel for negativity,” he explained in the press release. “I truly hope the peace I’ve found amidst this challenging year encourages others to keep going and know that there really is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Meanwhile, on “Secret,” Bassett feels double-crossed by his love interest. “Swore that you only had a crush/ You told me that you would cut him off,” he sings. “I should’ve seen it coming then/ My friends all warned me I should run for the hills/ But I defended you still/ ‘Cause I know rumors could kill.”
“Set Me Free” sees the end of the trilogy, with the actor hoping to make amends and put the drama of his situation behind him in an attempt to move on. “I don’t wanna be rude or on the defensive/ But I’ve been goin’ through it too/ And I know you feel used, I know you’ve been hurt/ Anything I did to make you feel worse/ I’d take it all back if I could,” Bassett sings on the first verse.
Watch the official videos for “Crisis,” “Secret” and “Set Me Free” below.
NEWS
Say what you will about the UMG defamation lawsuit over "Not Like Us," but it hasn't been difficult for Drake to stay on top in any case. Whether you think the industry is trying to take him down or people dismissed him as their champion, you're probably missing the big picture.
According to Hip Hop All Day on Twitter, the Toronto superstar became the first rapper to surpass 5 billion streams on Spotify in 2025, continuing his stretch this year as the most streamed rapper on the platform. Others aren't too far behind, but these continually impressive commercial numbers are hard to knock off.
Of course, there are a few reasons for this. One of them is the OVO mogul's recent collab album with PARTYNEXTDOOR, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Both the Billboard Hot 100 success of the solo cut "NOKIA" plus rapid sales for the project as a whole translate to a whole lot of engagement on the digital streaming platform.
Another driving factor behind Drake's numbers is the anticipation for his next album (albeit with no release date), which he recently confirmed he's working on during a gambling livestream with Adin Ross. As such, we imagine a lot of die-hards are probably coming back to their favorite catalog material to prepare for their wildest dreams – if they weren't already bumping The Boy nonstop to begin with.
Even Kanye West is giving the 6ix God his props these days, even though his long-standing beef with Drizzy is constantly a subject of his flip-flopping tendencies. "This is the biggest victory in music history, right here," Ye said of the UMG lawsuit. "I'm never finna call Drake out of his name. I'm Team Drake, 100 percent. And Team Kendrick, and Team All Of Us... Kendrick needs to be going at UMG at this point. [...] Like, let's stop aiming all this at each other. You have no idea. Everything is worth everything for a moment like this. Where we stop going at each other and we go at the slave masters."
Will Drake be successful and impactful with this? That's up to the court to decide, and up to the industry and its artists to reckon with following their decision. But in the meantime, that Spotify revenue is looking beefy.
