Few songs captured the popular imagination in 2021 more than Olivia Rodrigo’s breakup anthem “drivers license.” One person who probably wasn’t super psyched about the track’s phenomenal success was actor and musician Joshua Bassett, whom the lyrics are rumored to be about. But now Bassett is back with a trio of new songs—”Crisis,” “Secret,” and “Set Me Free”—that seemingly address his ill-fated relationship with Rodrigo and the fallout that’s followed.
“Crisis,” perhaps the most accusatory of the three, shot into the Top 20 on the Genius Top Songs chart. Bassett wrote the song with Derrick Southerland and Mikey Reaves, and if the first verse is to be believed, he did so reluctantly.
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
Bassett complains about being painted as the “bad guy” in the pre-chorus. In the hook, he insists that whatever breakup he’s singing about affected him, too.
But don’t you dare act like I didn’t love you
Don’t go thinkin’ that I didn’t hurt too
Later in the chorus, he charges his unnamed ex with telling lies for financial gain.
Half the shit you’re sayin’ is only half true
You’re messin’ with my life as a career move
In the second verse, it becomes even more apparent that Bassett is singing about the aftermath of “drivers license.” Bassett has already spoken about the health troubles he faced right after Rodrigo’s song dropped, but he apparently also experienced the dark side of stan culture.
My mama called ’cause she heard I got death threats
Oh, what the hell am I supposed to do with that?
Bassett uses the bridge to flip the narrative and suggest that he wasn’t responsible for the breakup.
Weren’t you the one who left in the first place?
Weren’t you the one who called things off?
It’s too soon to tell whether “Crisis” and its companion songs will change the public’s perceptions of Bassett. But the new music has already proved cathartic for the singer. “Releasing these vulnerable snippets of my life is equally terrifying and beautifully liberating,” Bassett said in a statement.
You can check out all the lyrics to “Crisis” on Genius now.
Oh…the Joshlivia beef continues.