By Andrew Benzinger

Most people might recognize the name Joshua Bassett as that young star on the show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, but Bassett’s career in music reaches much farther than the Disney+ series. His childhood in the suburbs of San Diego predisposed him to a life in theater, playing instruments and singing; from an early age, he taught himself guitar, drums, piano and ukulele. July 16th marked the release of his latest single “Anyone Else”, which also includes his solo debut song with Warner Records, “Common Sense” (released back in April). Both recent releases are driving Bassett’s listeners on Spotify and fans on Instagram up —in numbers and intensity— and both of his solo pop singles are interesting in how stripped down and grounded they feel. There aren’t too many elements in his music besides his voice and guitar, and this certainly helps Bassett’s natural vocal talent to shine through without excessive pomp. As a result, “Anyone Else” has a soft poppy sound that highlights the artist’s solo performance. Unfortunately, some of his lyrics don’t come off as romantic as much as jealous - “Is he the guy you want to hold you / I’ll be here when you need me” - and while envy is a common feeling in the world of young love, the feeling festers a little much in this song. Joshua Bassett’s career is just kicking off, and while his vocal talent is Disney-tier, it’ll be interesting to see what other thematic and lyrical places it’ll lead him.