# Joshua Bassett
**Joshua Bassett** (Joshua Taylor Bassett) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and musician born in 2000 in [Oceanside, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/oceanside-california), best known for playing Ricky Bowen in the Disney+ series *[High School Musical: The Musical: The Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school-musical-the-musical-the-series)* (2019–2023) and for a parallel pop music career with [Warner Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-records).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joshua-bassett-mn0003887900)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2000, Oceanside, California, USA[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) |
| Breakout role | Ricky Bowen, lead of *High School Musical: The Musical: The Series*, 2019–2023, 38 episodes[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7481311) |
| Record deal | Signed with Warner Records in early 2020; debut single "Common Sense" released that April[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joshua-bassett-mn0003887900) |
| Chart entry | "Lie Lie Lie" debuted at No. 33 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart and No. 25 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100[4](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hsmtmts_joshuabassett_bio_bc4a68ca.pdf) |
| Award | Children's and Family Emmy Award (2023) for co-writing and producing "Finally Free" from the series' season three soundtrack[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/) |
| Debut album | *The Golden Years*, released July 26, 2024[6](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/joshua-bassett-the-golden-years-album-review/) |
| Stage debut | Seymour in the Off-Broadway *Little Shop of Horrors* at the Westside Theatre, December 19, 2025 through March 1, 2026[7](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Joshua-Bassett-and-Joy-Woods) |
## Early life and theater
Bassett grew up in Oceanside, California, with parents Taylor and Laura Bassett and five sisters who are also involved in theater.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7481311) His father, a professional pianist and drummer, taught him drums at age seven for a church band, and he began performing in musical theater around that age.[8](https://www.bassettbranches.org/newsletters/2023/02/202302.pdf) He accumulated more than two dozen, by one account over thirty, musical theater productions before his mid-teens, with lead roles including Apostle James in *Godspell*, the Cat in the Hat in *[Seussical](https://www.edgepedia.org/seussical)*, [Peter Pan](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-pan), Kurt von Trapp in *The Sound of Music*, and Charlie in *Willy Wonka*.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) • [9](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/disney_bio_-_joshua_bassett_38f21730.pdf) He plays piano, guitar, and drums, and by his own account writes, produces, and plays five instruments.[10](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/joshua-bassett/)
## Television acting
**Screen beginnings.** Bassett's screen debut came in the 2015 short film *Limbo*, about an estranged father and son. He then guested as Will in the Fox action drama reboot *Lethal Weapon* and as Brock in Nickelodeon's *Game Shakers*.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) His first recurring role was Aidan Peters, Harley's lacrosse-playing boyfriend, on the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) sitcom *[Stuck in the Middle](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuck-in-the-middle-tv-series)* (2016–18), followed by a turn as a young [Eric Bana](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-bana) in the true-crime anthology *Dirty John* (Bravo, 2018) and a guest spot on ABC's *Grey's Anatomy*.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) • [9](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/disney_bio_-_joshua_bassett_38f21730.pdf)
**HSMTMTS.** In 2019 Bassett was cast as Ricky Bowen, a high school junior who tries to win back his ex-girlfriend by auditioning for a production of *High School Musical*, in the meta documentary-style Disney+ series *High School Musical: The Musical: The Series*. He played the lead across the show's four seasons, from 2019 to 2023, appearing in 38 episodes.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7481311) He co-wrote and performed "Just for a Moment" with castmate [Olivia Rodrigo](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-rodrigo) for season one, and his songwriting and production on "Finally Free" from the season three soundtrack won the 2023 Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song in a Children's or Young Teen Program.[4](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hsmtmts_joshuabassett_bio_bc4a68ca.pdf) • [5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/)
## Music career
Months before the series premiered, Bassett's manager arranged a meeting with Nate Albert, executive vice president of A&R at Warner Records; Bassett arrived with a dozen demos to perform on guitar, and the label signed him at the top of 2020.[11](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2020/Billboard-2020-03-28.pdf) His debut single "Common Sense" appeared in April 2020 and tallied 5 million total streams within a month.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joshua-bassett-mn0003887900) • [4](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hsmtmts_joshuabassett_bio_bc4a68ca.pdf) "Lie Lie Lie," released around the same period, became his first Billboard chart entry and, according to press coverage, was widely read as a response to co-star Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license."[12](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2021/01/29/beyond-high-school-musical-joshua-bassett-is-breaking-free-emerging-artists-spotlight/) • [13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-10-09.pdf)
**EPs and album.** His self-titled debut EP arrived on March 12, 2021; he wrote the record, co-produced five of its six tracks, and played six instruments on it.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joshua-bassett-mn0003887900) A second EP followed later that year with the singles "Crisis," "Secret," and "Set Me Free," and a third, *Sad Songs in a Hotel Room*, led by the hit "Smoke Slow," appeared in September 2022, alongside a 2022 EP titled *Different*.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joshua-bassett-mn0003887900) • [6](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/joshua-bassett-the-golden-years-album-review/) In October 2021 Billboard placed him on its 21 Under 21 list of rising artists.[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/) His first full-length album, *The Golden Years*, was released on July 26, 2024, with reviewers noting its continued focus on romantic reflection and songs such as the title track and "Mirror."[6](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/joshua-bassett-the-golden-years-album-review/)
## Film and stage
Bassett's film work includes the voice of Nick Daley in the animated *Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again* (2022) and a role as Nate's older brother in *Better Nate Than Ever* (2022), a Disney+ musical film written and directed by Tim Federle, who also created his television series; *Better Nate Than Ever* is his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 83 percent.[14](https://www.movieinsider.com/p44550/joshua-bassett) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett) He was cast as [Christopher](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher) in *I Can Only Imagine 2*, scheduled for 2026.[14](https://www.movieinsider.com/p44550/joshua-bassett)
In December 2025 he made his New York stage debut as Seymour in the long-running [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) revival of *Little Shop of Horrors* at the Westside Theatre, playing a ten-week engagement opposite Tony nominee [Joy Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/joy-woods) as Audrey through March 1, 2026.[7](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Joshua-Bassett-and-Joy-Woods) • [5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/) He said the role was his first theater work in about ten years and that the eight-shows-a-week schedule required him to cut out alcohol and sugar to stay healthy.[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/)
## Health and public attention
In 2021, the same year he appeared on Billboard's 21 Under 21 list, Bassett was hospitalized with heart failure; he has said he was diagnosed with myocarditis and sepsis and was called the "sickest patient in the hospital," and that his condition reversed after he asked for help, with follow-up scans showing no lasting physical effects.[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/) His rumored involvement with co-star Olivia Rodrigo and singer [Sabrina Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/sabrina-carpenter) drew intense media and fan speculation around Rodrigo's 2021 hit "drivers license," attention that both overshadowed and accelerated the launch of his music career.[13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-10-09.pdf) • [15](https://time.com/7027418/sabrina-carpenter-interview-time-100-next/) In 2026 he said publicly that substance abuse during that period had spiraled to a point he believes he should not have survived.[16](https://www.tmz.com/people/joshua-bassett/) A memoir, *Rookie: My Public, Private, and Secret Life*, was scheduled for release on May 5, 2026.[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/)
## References
1. [Joshua Bassett Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/joshua_bassett)
2. [Joshua Bassett Biography, AllMusic (Marcy Donelson)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joshua-bassett-mn0003887900)
3. [Joshua Bassett, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7481311)
4. [Disney+ biography: Joshua Bassett, HSMTMTS press bio](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/hsmtmts_joshuabassett_bio_bc4a68ca.pdf)
5. [Little Shop of Horrors Star Joshua Bassett Talks Music, Memoir and the Magic of Mushnik's, Broadway.com Buzz](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206656/little-shop-of-horrors-star-joshua-bassett-talks-music-memoir-and-the-magic-of-mushniks/)
6. [Joshua Bassett 'The Golden Years' Review, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/joshua-bassett-the-golden-years-album-review/)
7. [Joshua Bassett and Joy Woods Are the Next Stars of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Joshua-Bassett-and-Joy-Woods)
8. [Bassett Family Newsletter, Volume XXI, Issue 2](https://www.bassettbranches.org/newsletters/2023/02/202302.pdf)
9. [Disney+ Bio, Joshua Bassett](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/disney_bio_-_joshua_bassett_38f21730.pdf)
10. [Joshua Bassett, San Diego Reader](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/joshua-bassett/)
11. [Billboard, March 28, 2020 (SIGNED: Joshua Bassett, Warner Records)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2020/Billboard-2020-03-28.pdf)
12. [Beyond 'High School Musical,' Joshua Bassett Is Breaking Free: Emerging Artists Spotlight, Billboard](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2021/01/29/beyond-high-school-musical-joshua-bassett-is-breaking-free-emerging-artists-spotlight/)
13. [Billboard, October 9, 2021 (Youth Movement: Joshua Bassett)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2021/Billboard-2021-10-09.pdf)
14. [Joshua Bassett Filmography, Movie Insider](https://www.movieinsider.com/p44550/joshua-bassett)
15. [Sabrina Carpenter Has Waited Her Whole Life for This, TIME](https://time.com/7027418/sabrina-carpenter-interview-time-100-next/)
16. [Joshua Bassett Reveals Past Drug Abuse Nearly Killed Him, TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/people/joshua-bassett/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 1986 to 2000*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license