Joshua Bassett Addresses Olivia Rodrigo Drama on His New Song, "Crisis"
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Joshua Bassett is finally breaking his silence regarding his alleged split with Olivia Rodrigo. The 20-year-old singer teased his latest music release on Instagram and TikTok, where he posted a snippet of "Crisis," the first of three new songs. "And if you get to tell your truth / Then so do I," he sings in the 9-second clip.
In July 2021, Joshua posted a different teaser to an unreleased track, "Never," on TikTok, and fans immediately theorized that it tied back to Olivia. Luckily, they finally get to hear Joshua's story on his new EP that dropped on December 3.
So, you may be wondering how the rest of the lyrics to "Crisis" relate to Joshua and Olivia's relationship and the drama that ensued after. Below, find all the details that break down the lyrics to Joshua Bassett's latest song.
Lyrics provided by Genius
[Verse 1]
My label said to never waste a crisis
And here I am, guitar in my hand, in the middle of one, hmm
And, honestly, I didn't wanna write this
Don't know if I can, still holdin' back, still wanna run
In the opening verse, Joshua opens up about his record label potentially pressuring him to release a response to the backlash he had been facing after Olivia Rodrigo dropped her song, "Drivers License," which was reportedly tied back to their romance. He claims he doesn't even want to write the song in fear of the reaction it may receive.
In an interview with GQ, Joshua said that his label wanted to take advantage of the "media swarm" during that time. "It sort of felt like a losing battle… If I try and defend myself in any way, it just felt impossible," he told the outlet. In the same interview, he also admitted that "Olivia hasn't spoken to [him] since 'Drivers License' came out."
[Pre-Chorus]
And if you get to tell your truth, then so do I
And it's cool if you want me to play the bad guy
Joshua expresses that it's time for him to tell his account of the situation. This can tie back to both Olivia and Sabrina Carpenter, who received tons of media attention because of an alleged love triangle. Following "Drivers License," Sabrina Carpenter released her song "Skin," which seemed like a response at the time. On "Skin," Sabrina sings "You've been telling your side, so I'm telling mine."
[Chorus]
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 sayin' is only half true
You're messin' with my life as a career move
I can't help but wonder why you won't make it end
Guess you would never dare
You would never dare to wastе a crisis
In the chorus, Joshua may be directly responding to songs like "Traitor" and "Good 4 U" — both of which reference how Olivia's counterpart "will never have to hurt" the way she did. He seemingly calls out how she released an entire album and didn't elaborate on their drama beyond that with the line "You're messin' with my life as a career move / I can't help but wonder why you won't make it end."
[Verse 2]
My mama called 'cause she hеard I got death threats
Oh, what the hell am I supposed to do with that?
Oh, I wish that I could open my eyes and the nightmare be over
But you sensationalize, keep fannin' the fire for the headlines
Olivia's debut album, SOUR, was seemingly inspired by her romance with Joshua, which resulted in him receiving a flux of death threats from fans online. Their alleged love triangle with Sabrina Carpenter basically took over the news cycle since the release of Olivia's song, "Drivers License," back in January 2021.
"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*cking kill him,'" Joshua said in his interview with GQ. "It's hard to see that and then be living in New York and walking down the street."
[Chorus]
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 sayin' is only half true
You're messin' with my life as a career move
I can't help but wonder why you won't make it end
Guess you would never dare
You would never dare to waste a crisis
[Bridge]
Weren't you the one who left in the first place?
Weren't you the one who called things off?
Was it an act to love me or an act to hate me?
[Chorus]
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 sayin' is only half true
You're messin' with my life as a career move
I can't help but wonder why you won't make it end
But you would never dare
You would never dare to waste a crisis
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