Actor-Singer Joshua Bassett Chats About His Debut Single, "Common Sense"

Joshua Bassett is the lead star in Disney+'s "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," a reinvented take on the two-time Emmy Award-winning "High School Musical" franchise. But Bassett is also a talented musician. He connected with BUILD to tell us about his debut single, "Common Sense."

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MATT FORTE: Hello, world, what is up? Welcome to BUILD at home. I'm your host, Matt Forte. And I'm coming to you from my home, as is, I believe, our next guest. Before we get started, as I'm sure you are all aware, because of the coronavirus, schools are closed nationwide, which means millions of children are losing THE healthy meals they depend on everyday. I believe, as of today, more than 438 million meals have been lost. Now because of this, we've been kicking off all of our talks recently highlighting the work and efforts of NoKidHungry.org. No Kid Hungry has a plan to feed these kids, which is great, but we need your help. So head over to NoKidHungry.org. If you happen to be someone in a position to give a little, then consider No Kid Hungry as one of the places to give. They're doing some really important awesome work over there.

So let's get started with the show, because I've got an incredible guest for you. He's a crazy talented singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, which means he plays multiple instruments. He's an actor. You, of course, know him and love him as Ricky on the Disney+ original, "High School Musical, The Musical, The Series." And today-- that's right, today-- you can check out the release of his new original song, "Common Sense." Wherever you may be right now, make some noise and go nuts and join me in welcoming back to the show, the great Joshua Bassett. Joshua, how you doing, man?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yo, yo, how's it going, man?

MATT FORTE: It's nice to have you back on, dude. How are you holding up? How's quarantine life treating you, dude?

JOSHUA BASSETT: I was really not thrilled about it at first. But I'm kind of enjoying the time to, like, really come back to myself and, like-- there's a lot of projects that I wanted to work on in my own time that I didn't really have time to do, so this is like-- I mean, obviously, there's a lot of awful things happening in the world. But it is nice to kind of have time to, like, really re-center myself and work on projects that I just had in my back pocket for a while, including music. I have a whole setup. So it's nice to be able to just kind of, you know, stay inside all day and work on stuff.

MATT FORTE: That's pretty amazing, man. And we've got a new song dropping today. Have you found yourself writing a lot? I know this new song is sort of the first of a bigger thing to come down the road, talks of an EPA or an album. Have you been writing new music, and just really digging into that, with the time that you have?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah. Yeah, I've been writing new music. I have a lot of songs kind of in my back pocket that I haven't really fully done. And so now I have the luxury of the time to, like, take what I already have and really kind of polish it up and get it to the place that it should be. So yeah, it's a little bit of writing new stuff, but also kind of working on the stuff that I already have. Because even, like, "Common Sense," I recorded that, like, 2 and 1/2 years ago and put it on my Instagram. Like, it was just, like, so-- that's been in my back pocket for forever.

MATT FORTE: Wow, yeah.

JOSHUA BASSETT: So, like, finally getting it out, it's like, yes, to the world, it's new. But to me, it's like, I've had that there for forever. So you know, getting some of that old stuff out is the goal.

MATT FORTE: Yeah, and I'm excited to talk about the decision behind that song and why that one. Because for sure, you've been posting stuff for a while. You've been putting music up there. You know, one of the things, though, before we get to that that I've heard is super important right now, with everything going on, is that while we're home, it's important like find a rhythm and figure out a routine. Mine has been a mess. I'm staying up way too late. I'm playing a ton of Animal Crossing. I'm eating way too much. I'm curious, have you found your routine yet? Have you figured out what your day looks like right now?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, yeah. I have had the same struggles. Like, I'm just now really getting into my groove. I have to make a limit to no later than 9:30 am. I can't sleep in later than 9:30. And if I set that rule, then I won't go to bed too late. And then it just kind of helps everything. But I try to do some little, like, YouTube workouts, like 15 minute HIIT routines and stuff. I go on walks around the neighborhood all the time. And it's so funny seeing everyone else on walks, because there's nothing to do.

But everyone's so much nicer now. Everyone's so, like, warm and welcome. Except some people, like, cross the street when they see other people. It's like, I get that, too. Like, people being extra safe. But generally, people crave connection. And so seeing other people is, like, is great. But yeah, I mean, not really a typical routine, but I do try to get up by 9:30 and workout and just kind of get things going and start writing and, you know. And just try to be as productive as I can, because if not, I will literally go insane. Yeah.

MATT FORTE: Yeah, no, for sure. I think that's we're all just avoiding going insane right now.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yes, that's the goal.

MATT FORTE: Earlier this week, I saw there was a performance on Nickelodeon's Town Hall. You, like, tweaked "Common Sense" a little bit for that, which I though was fun. And I think you're actually later today, you're performing on Instagram as part of Together at Home campaign. That's got to be an exciting thing to have to do, right? You looking forward to that?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Correct. Yeah, it's really awesome to be able to be part of this. You know, it's a very scary time for a lot of people. It's a very lonely time. It's a very-- you know, it's just so uncertain. And that's the thing. It's unprecedented. It's uncertain. It's like people are-- and so to be a part of something like the World Health Organization's Together at Home Project is so neat, because this is such a massive moment in history that is going to be read about in history books. Like, it's just crazy to be a part of that time and to contribute what I can to that kind of moment is insane. So yeah, it's awesome.

MATT FORTE: For sure. I talked to Jewel earlier this week about performing to-- she's been doing a lot of concerts at home, as well, raising awareness for different stuff. I'm curious to get your perspective as an artist, who's been recording music on their phone and posting it online for a while. Do these performances feel a little different than in the past? Or do they just kind of feel the same? Because it's still you in a room, just having an intimate moment with your phone.

JOSHUA BASSETT: [LAUGHS] Yeah, it is still me in a room. But you know, I think people-- this sounds so cheesy.

MATT FORTE: Go for it.

JOSHUA BASSETT: But I really have learned through this that art really can be therapeutic. Like, good art truly is therapy. And I think a lot of people need therapy right now. Like, I'm having to do therapy over the phone, which is still great. It's not the best. But, like, people really need that connection. Like I was saying, they crave that. So in a way, it feels the same. But you can definitely feel the energy of, like, you know, it being different, I guess.

MATT FORTE: And I wouldn't you say cheesy, man. I mean, like, honestly, make no bones about it. Like, we know as people putting on this show and doing these things at the end of the day, what matters is, like, you're healthy. You're safe. People are being safe and being healthy. But the whole reason we decided to keep doing the show and do it remotely is because all of this art, it's what everyone's turning to. It's what they're consuming. And everyone's talking about it. And so just to be a part of that conversation.

At the end of the day, yeah, what matters is everyone's safe and important. But it's not a cheesy thing. I think the art is helping a lot of people get through-- a lot of shows, a lot of music right now, for sure. I got to say congratulations again, man, not only for the new music today, but it was recently announced that you signed a freaking record deal with Warner Records. Man, that's amazing. Good for you, dude. That's got to be a great feeling.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Yeah, it was insane. That's actually a interesting story that I haven't really told anybody, is I was trying to release my song back in November, this song. I was, like, ready to go. I had no label. I was, like, you know what? I'm just going to do it myself. So I recorded the song. I did it all. I got a mixer and master. And I just got it all done. And I was, like, screw it. I got my friend to do the photo shoot. That photo is from my buddy who's just incredible. I was like, look, man, I can give you what I can give you. Like, let's just figure it out. So I was like, let's get this thing going.

And then Warner came into the picture. And we were like, oh, maybe we don't have to do this all right now. Maybe we can take a beat and get our things in order. So that pushed the release back a little bit while we, like, figured out that whole situation. But they came in at just the right time. It was pretty perfect. And the team over there is, like, just incredible. It's so nice to have a team I can trust with my career and my music. And they totally get it. And there's-- it's a really cool position to be in--

So sorry about that. Are we back?

MATT FORTE: Yeah. It's all good, man. You were saying it's a cool position to be in.

JOSHUA BASSETT: It is a it's a cool position to be in, because the timing of it all-- I feel like I'm in a different position than a lot of newer artists, where I have kind of this mutual respect with the label. And they see me a little bit more as an established artist, even though I've never had any music out. So it's nice to have that relationship and equal respect.

MATT FORTE: It's wild that you bring that up, because one of the things that I was, like-- not drawn to or, like, interested in-- I was reading a thing about this, a release. And the A&R guy at Warner-- Nate, I think his name was. He had said--

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah.

MATT FORTE: --in an interview that he was blown away by how developed you were, calling you the triple threat, that you were writing, producing, performing. And I thought it was so cool to hear that dude's perspective. And like, you know, you're-- all right, so you star in a show on Disney. That's a life goal. You've done that. But put that aside for a second. That meeting is the one, as a musician, that's the meeting that you're training for and preparing for your whole life, right?

So what was like in that room? Were you nervous? Could you feel the vibe? Could you tell this Nate guy was, like, impressed with you? What was it like from your side of the story? Like, did you know you were crushing it?

JOSHUA BASSETT: [LAUGHS] No. So I don't know-- you know, I had my fair share of, like-- I met with a couple people. And it was just, like, not quite vibing. And so I had been through that a few times. And so when I went in to meet with them, I was kind of-- I was already a little bit jaded and just like, OK, let's see how this goes. I didn't get my hopes up too much, because, it's like, you never know. And I sat down.

And immediately, like, Nate Albert is not only just a brilliant A&R mind, but he's such a genuinely wonderful person. And I could immediately like-- I was immediately put at ease by even just his voice and like who he is. And he made it so welcoming and so awesome. Versus a lot of times they'll try to intimidate you and be cold-- like, a lot of executives in the music world. But he was very, like, warm and welcoming. And it just-- I immediately felt at home there. I immediately felt this sense of belonging and freedom to really be who I am. And so that kind of overrode any kind of fear or anxiety. Obviously, I was still a little nervous.

MATT FORTE: Of course. It's a big deal.

JOSHUA BASSETT: [LAUGHS] Yeah. But yeah, he made me feel very much at home and whatnot. And he held my hand through the whole process, like when we went to meet with Tom Corson, the COO, and Aaron, the CEO. Like, he would always, like, see me five minutes before and just kind of prep me and be, like, yo, how are feeling? Do you feel good? What are you concerned about? This is who-- you know, so it was really nice to feel like you had someone on your team who really believed in me. And he actually showed interest before the show aired, which I thought was one of the main things that made me really drew me to--

MATT FORTE: Got it. So he saw it before-- because we'll get to that in a second-- before all that. But he saw you as an artist and that was really exciting for you. You're like, OK, this dude knows Joshua. He doesn't know Ricky. He knows me and, like, my music and what I do.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Right. Yeah, exactly. That's the thing is I think a lot of people, it's easy, like, when something starts kind of taking off to be, like, oh-- look at it as a business thing and be, like, oh, if he's taking off here, then let's try and, you know-- versus him, he was totally the other way around. He was like, look, this High School Musical stuff is awesome, but I'm more worried about you as an artist. I'm more worried about the music and the art and how we can take that to the level that it can be at. And that's why he's one of the greats. He's amazing.

MATT FORTE: That's super awesome, man. So I mentioned it earlier, let's get to it, so why this track as the first one? I think fans have been following you. They know, like, "I'm Still in Love." They know "Do it All Again." I think "Sorry" was another one. Why was "Common Sense" with all the songs that you have in the locker in the back pocket ready to go, why was that one the one for you to, like, that's the one I want to put out?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, I mean-- [SIGHS] that tends to be-- well, first of all, that song means a lot to me. And writing that song was insane, and I think I mentioned it in the article you were referencing earlier-- but it was kind of like it just hit me. It was one of those songs that, like, I was literally driving and it just came to me. And I was like, oh, my, it's brilliant. And I just, like, record-- I couldn't keep up with myself. It was as if the song was already written and I was just, like, trying to get it out.

And then I pulled over in a Westfield parking lot. And in my car just pulled up my guitar and finished the song. And it was, like, whoa. It was insane. And a lot of times, I would, like, show people some of my songs. And they would always be like, what was that "Common Sense" one? Go back to that one. And again, it was my first original song that I posted on Instagram. And it just felt like the right-- it just felt right.

MATT FORTE: It was a full circle moment.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, totally full circle is the best way to put it. Fun little fact, I don't know if anyone caught this the first time around-- I saw a few people actually on Twitter tweeting about this. But right before we sent in the song to get remixed and mastered, I listened to my Instagram version again. And I was like, those birds sound sick. There's birds in the background while I'm playing. And I was like, that sounds really great.

So as a little bit of a nugget, I actually had to re-download that song from my Instagram, rip it illegally off of my Instagram, get the audio, put it into my music program, and cut down just to where the birds are. I put them in twice in the first, like, 15-ish seconds of the song. And so if you go back, you can hear the birds. And that's from the Instagram page. That's a little callback to all the OG people who were there from the start.

MATT FORTE: Wow. That's awesome. That is so much fun, when you can put little like Easter eggs like that in your stuff, man. That's pretty amazing. You know, as someone who has so many songs written, how do you see this in your head? Like, do you already know what the track list for your first album is going to be? Are you still figuring all that sort of stuff out? With so much written, I feel like you have a lot of these, like, plans in your head that you've had for years. Like, you've been waiting for this moment.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yes, for sure. Yeah, I have a lot of plans in my head. I have a lot of ideas. I'm always like thinking ahead. You know, I think the most important thing to me is being as true to myself as possible. And I think the people who have enjoyed my music so far, it would feel disingenuous, I guess, to make my music anything other than what it is. And that's why I think "Common Sense" is a perfect example of how I took what the song is and just lightly elevated it to kind of, you know, bring it up just a notch, but still keep it true to its core. And I think that's my favorite thing about songwriting is, like, you can do all the production, you can do all this stuff, but you strip it away and is the song good?

MATT FORTE: Is it a good song?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Is the meat of it-- right. And so if you do have that, then, you can dress it up if you want, but my goal is to just take, like, the songs that I already have, and elevate them to a point where I can still have my artistic, like, input on that, but where it still feels true to the song and not like I'm putting on this front and being someone who I'm not. Because that just wouldn't be-- that's just not authentic. And the goal is to be as me as possible. And I hope that that resonates with people.

MATT FORTE: For sure, man.

JOSHUA BASSETT: We're figuring it out.

MATT FORTE: Congrats again on the song. We've got a couple of minutes left before we get out of here. I got some more stuff that I wanted to ask you. But congrats on the song. And it's a super chill track. And I think it's kind of perfect listening right now. And it's kind of a perfect song for this moment in time. I think a lot of people can use something pretty chill to listen to right now.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Thank you, man. I appreciate that.

MATT FORTE: So I'm excited for more music from you, dude. So before we get out here, when you and I last spoke, it was days away from the official launch of the Disney+ show, of "High School Musical." We got to talk before it came out. What has that ride been like? Watching this thing drop and just watching so much love and support for you guys and for this show, what was that experience like? Sum it up, man.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, I mean, it's so not real life. It's so bizarre. It feels so, like-- I do stay off social media a lot of the time. And a lot of people who follow me know that. They don't love that, but it's just-- it's like, in a way, it's totally me up there, but it's not me. It's a weird thing. But I think the first time it really set in for me and my co-star, Olivia-- like, the first time it really hit us, we went to Atlanta for the Junior Theater Festival. It was 7,000 theater kids.

And we got to sing one of the songs from the show and then an original song that Olivia and I wrote. And so going out there and performing an original song, just me, the guitar, and Olivia in front of 7,000 screaming-- it was like the most insane thing. That was, like, a pinch me, like, whoa. Because that was, like, a real world thing. It was, like, what is happening right now? That was insane.

MATT FORTE: Was that 7,000 people-- sorry to cut you off, but I'm just curious. At that moment in time, was that one of the larger crowds you've played for or played in front of, 7,000?

JOSHUA BASSETT: The largest.

MATT FORTE: The largest, yeah.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Hands down.

MATT FORTE: That's wild. You're never going to forget that moment in time.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, oh, absolutely not. No, yeah, I'm not forgetting that. It was pretty surreal. It's also been really fun to kind of see that the reactions to things on just, like, Twitter and stuff. Just because, like, we lived with the show from so many months. And we fell in love with the show, like, over and over again. Every script we got, we'd be like, oh, this scene is great. Or this and this. And so, you know, it took, like, seven, eight months from the first set of something for the show to come out-- maybe even longer than that. It might have been, like, 10 months since we started?

MATT FORTE: Almost a year.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, almost a year. So seeing people's reaction was, like, a nice refresher of, like, oh, my gosh-- kind of like living it for the first time again, through other people, in a way. It was very fun, yeah.

MATT FORTE: And also it's like a validation. Like, you fall in love with it, but you also don't know-- like, you're so close to it and you're making that thing, so it's easy for you to kind of fall in love with it. And then to see everyone else fall in love with it, you're like, all right, we're not crazy. This is good.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Totally. Well, that's the thing, though, is like, Olivia wrote "All I Want" for episode 4. And I don't know the order of who she showed it to, but I believe I heard I was the first people to hear it. Like, she showed her mom and she showed me. And I remember her saying something like-- I'm kind of exposing her now, but she said something like, oh, god, I'm just-- it's terrible. I'm going to start from scratch.

And I was like, what are you talking about, you're going to start from scratch? I was like, no, this is perfect. What are you talking-- this is incredible. I was blown away. And she was like, I don't know, I don't know. And I'm like, I'm telling you right now, this is incredible. And of course, it's, like, the number one song of the show. It's, like, a massive hit. I'm like, of course, it's a massive hit. I knew that from the time you played it. I can't imagine a world in which she was like, eh, I'm going to start from scratch.

MATT FORTE: And just gone, poof.

JOSHUA BASSETT: I'm sure she would have written another incredible song. But I knew right then and there. So stuff like that, like I knew with other people's stuff, I was like, that I can totally see people resonating. Now it's resonating with people and--

MATT FORTE: And sure enough, there it was.

JOSHUA BASSETT: It's awesome.

MATT FORTE: Last thing before we get out of here. You guys, nobody's surprised by the existence of a season two. But [INAUDIBLE] as you started work on it, but then everything happened, you guys had to shut down, right? Is that what happened?

JOSHUA BASSETT: Right. Yeah. Correct.

MATT FORTE: So obviously, you can't-- I'm not asking for spoilers. I'm not asking for anything like that. But how far along were you guys? Did you get-- were you filming? Were you just in rehearsals? Were you just reading stuff? Do you know if you can even say that? I don't want to get you in trouble. I was just curious.

JOSHUA BASSETT: I don't know if I can say that. I think it's relatively public knowledge that we had started filming.

MATT FORTE: Yeah, that's what I thought, yeah. OK.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Yeah, we were a couple episodes in. And all I can say is every day on set was a pinch me moment.

MATT FORTE: Really?

JOSHUA BASSETT: It was just so exciting. Because, you know, the first season, we weren't sure what the show was. We have no idea what we're doing. We're all kind of, like, figuring it out as we go. We don't even know-- even like, we filmed different versions-- in the first episode, they had us do things a couple of different ways, because they weren't even sure how they were going to edit it together and how it was going to look. So we were still figuring out the pacing and the tone and all that.

And so while we did have fun and it was very exciting, we still had-- there was a lot of learning in the first season. So then having the first season under your belt, knowing that it's mostly well-received, being able to go back into season 2, like, in the groove, knowing what the show is, and even just, like, the writers being able to know the show-- and now the writers room is filled with people who are mega fans of the show, which is just so awesome. Like, it's people who love it. And so we're able to take things to another level, because we're all, like, in the groove. It's just so exciting. And I think people are really going to love it. I know I did. And last season I loved every second of it and clearly that did well, so--

MATT FORTE: That worked out.

JOSHUA BASSETT: --I hope that that [LAUGHS] works out this season, yeah.

MATT FORTE: It's a good sign, man. Well, I'm going to let you go. I know you got to get ready. You've got a bunch of other stuff you've got to do. But one, sincerely, thank you for taking some time to hang out and chat with me again, man. It's always awesome to talk to you. I'm super happy that you're safe and you're healthy your family's doing well and everybody's doing all right. Stay safe. Keep doing what you're doing. Keep writing music. I'll remind everybody out there, "Common Sense" is widely available, is out today. If you haven't listened to it already, I don't know why you're watching this. Go listen to this song right now. And keep an eye out, an ear out for more music. Anything else you want to tell anybody before we get out of here, man?

JOSHUA BASSETT: I don't know. Stay safe and practice social distancing. It's really important right now. It's all you can do, but it matters. Every little person can help. Thank you, man. I appreciate it so much.

MATT FORTE: Thank you, dude. Fingers crossed this will all blow over. And when that record comes out, you come to New York again and we'll hang out and do this again.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Sounds great. I'm looking forward to it, man.

MATT FORTE: Thanks so much. Everybody, wherever you are, make noise for Joshua. Thanks, dude.

JOSHUA BASSETT: Hey. Have a good one. Peace.

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