Joshua Bassett could also be having some main deja vu along with his new track, “The Golden Years.”
The singer, 23, took to social media on Thursday, Might 2, to share a snippet of the monitor through TikTok. Within the video, Bassett may very well be seen singing on the seashore by the Santa Monica pier.
“4 years passed by in a blink of a watch / We had been younger ‘until we weren’t / It was enjoyable ‘until I harm,” he crooned whereas staring into the digital camera.
After posting the clip, followers rapidly took to the feedback part to query the track’s inspiration. Many contemplated if Bassett was singing about his ex Olivia Rodrigo, whom he dated 4 years in the past in 2020 whereas filming Excessive Faculty Musical: The Musical: The Sequence.
“Hey siri play stranger by olivia rodrigo 😬,” one individual wrote. “I really feel like you can’ve simply modified the lyrics to say 2 years or like 7 simply to keep away from all of the drama lol,” one other joked.
Others identified that Bassett’s shirt featured the numbers 17 and 21, which mark the ages of Rodrigo when she wrote her track “Driver’s License” — largely rumored to be about Bassett — and the age she is now.
“GUYS HIS SHIRT. There’s quantity 17, that was the age of Olivia in 2020, and 4 years later she is 21.!!!!!,” one individual mentioned. A second added: “Olivia wrote drivers license when she was 17 and now she’s 21 the numbers on his shirt🤔.”
Bassett then posted a second clip of the monitor on Friday, Might 3, alongside varied pictures from his time filming HSMTMTS. The lyrics remained the identical excluding one added line: “Now I’m terrified that I’ll by no means discover love like yours.” The photographs, in the meantime, included Rodrigo, in addition to Bassett’s different costars Sofia Wylie, Matt Cornett, Julia Lester, Frankie A. Rodriguez and Larry Saperstein.
@joshuatbassett 👀
As a result of one photograph largely centered on Bassett’s character, Ricky, and Rodrigo’s character, Nini — who additionally dated on and off on the present — smiling at each other, some customers felt the submit was one other trace that the “Deja Vu” singer may very well be the track’s topic.
“Josh was like ‘in case y’all couldn’t determine who I used to be singing about within the final submit’ 😝,” one fan quipped. A 3rd commented: “Did he simply verify that that is abt olivia!?”
Some, nonetheless, speculated that the track may simply be about Bassett’s time on the DIsney+ collection, which ran for 4 seasons from 2019 to 2023. “I really feel like a few of yall are taking this too far bc Olivia was a major solid member within the first season so ofc she’s within the pic 😭,” one fan declared.
Although Bassett and Rodrigo by no means formally confirmed they had been courting, the 2 sparked romance hypothesis in 2019 after being solid as leads in HSMTMTS. Rumors swirled additional after the twosome wrote a track collectively for his or her characters.
“I believe we understood one another. It was actually neat … how properly we actually did work creatively collectively,” Bassett informed the L.A. Occasions in a January 2020 interview when requested about his inventive course of with Rodrigo.
Rodrigo, in the meantime, shared that working with Bassett felt pure. She recalled an occasion wherein he improvised together with her whereas filming season 1, which brought about her to get emotional.
“He mentioned, ‘Keep in mind that one time that we wrote a track, and we didn’t know if anyone would love it?’ That one made me cry as a result of I simply remembered sharing these recollections with him,” she informed the outlet. “I like him a lot. He’s my finest good friend … It was like I wasn’t appearing.”
In August 2020, Rodrigo seemingly confirmed the 2 had calle dit quits when she opened up a couple of “failed relationship” through TikTok. After her debut album, Bitter, dropped lower than a 12 months later, followers speculated that the file was about her romance and subsequent breakup with Bassett.
Bassett and Rodrigo made headlines once more when hypothesis sparked {that a} potential love triangle was brewing between the duo and Sabrina Carpenter. Bassett later addressed the rumors throughout a December 2021 interview with GQ.
“[Everyone] is asking me about Sabrina and Olivia,” he mentioned. “Why don’t we concentrate on these ladies for who they’re? Let’s concentrate on the artwork that they’re making and the way nice they’re as an alternative of their relationship to a boy.”
He added that on the time, Rodrigo hadn’t “spoken to me since ‘Driver’s License’ got here out.” Nonetheless, the duo reunited on the season 3 premiere of HSMTMTS in August 2023, even posing for pictures collectively on the purple carpet.
Since their break up, Rodrigo dated Adam Faze and Zack Bia earlier than transferring on with present boyfriend Louis Partridge. Bassett and Carpenter, in the meantime, known as it quits someday in 2021. Carpenter is at present linked to Saltburn star Barry Keoghan.