2017–2019: Breakthrough with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series From 2017 to 2018, Bassett appeared in episodic roles in the television shows:
Lethal Weapon,
Game Shakers, and
Dirty John. In August 2018, Bassett portrayed the role of Matt in a staged reading of the musical
Calvin Berger. The production ran from August 10 through August 12 at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in
Hollywood, California. In October 2018, at age 17, Bassett was cast in his first major role, as the male lead Ricky Bowen: a "cynical but charming high school [student]", on
Disney+'s
mockumentary musical drama
streaming television series
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, a spin-off of the
High School Musical film series. In November 2019, the program debuted on Disney+. Both the series and his performance were met with positive reception. Shannon Miller of
The A.V. Club praised Bassett for his talent, musical ability and "handling of dramatic material", while Kayla Cobb of
Decider stated that he had significant romantic chemistry with the female lead
Olivia Rodrigo; Megan Peters of
ComicBook.com wrote that Bassett "[endears] fans with his plucky determination to do
Troy justice". Bassett appeared in
two specials related to the series. The first,
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Special, a documentary special, was released in December 2019. The second was a holiday special titled
High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special, released in December 2020; it featured his pre-release performance of original song "The Perfect Gift", and a cover of "
Little Saint Nick" with co-star
Matt Cornett. Bassett performed for the five soundtracks of the series. Additionally, he wrote and produced four original songs: he co-wrote the duet "Just for a Moment" with co-star Rodrigo for the
first season's soundtrack, the holiday song "The Perfect Gift" for the
second season "Finally Free" for the
third season, and "Speak Out", which he performed with Cornett, for the
fourth soundtrack.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series ran for four seasons, ending in August 2023. Bassett won two
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role and a
Children's and Family Emmy Award for "Finally Free". Bassett's other ventures in 2019 included: a guest role—as Linus, a recovering teenage drug addict—in the
fifteenth season of the television series ''
Grey's Anatomy'', and being featured on "Evergreen", a track from American musician August Kamp's debut studio album,
19: The Musical.
2020–2023: Musical debut and extended plays In early 2020, Bassett signed with talent and entertainment company
United Talent Agency, as well as signed a recording contract with
Warner Bros. Records. after signing with
Warner Bros. Records, He released his debut single, "Common Sense", on music platforms on April 3, 2020. Later that month, Bassett appeared in the television special,
The Disney Family Singalong, in which he performed "
We're All In This Together" from
High School Musical alongside the film's cast as well as cast members from the
Zombies and
Descendants franchises. Bassett's second single, "Anyone Else", was released on July 16, 2020. In August 2020, he was a guest star participant on
Nickelodeon's reality game series
Unfiltered. In October 2020, in an interview, Bassett revealed that he had worked on his six track debut
EP which would be released soon. On January 14, 2021, Bassett released "
Lie Lie Lie", the lead single from his then-upcoming debut EP, with a
R3hab remix and an acoustic piano version released the following month. The song peaked in the top thirty on the
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 and in the top ninety on the
OOC UK Singles, becoming his first entry on both charts. Bassett had shared a snippet of the song on
Instagram under the title, "I Know", back in late 2019 when the song had not entered production. He followed it up with the second single from his EP, "Only a Matter Of Time", released on January 28, 2021. In February 2021,
Limbo, a short film that he had filmed back in 2015, was released on
Amazon Prime Video and
Vimeo on Demand. Despite the delayed release, the short film marked his film debut. Bassett played Caleb, an estranged young boy who reconnects with his father, the latter who is on a journey of
self-reflection. Later that month, he revealed the track listing, cover art, and release date of his EP. On March 12, 2021, Bassett's self-titled debut EP was released. He wrote, co-produced five of six tracks in the record, and played six instruments throughout the body of work. The EP's subject matter centers on heartbreak, love, regret, and betrayal. In April 2021, he conducted a one-night virtual concert titled "A Night with Joshua Bassett", in which he performed ten songs, including an unreleased song titled "LA", and a cover of "
Drops of Jupiter", backed by a full band from
EastWest Studios in Los Angeles. The virtual concert was broadcast live on his website, while tickets were up for sale on his merchandise store. It was also recorded and later released as a concert film on
Prime Video,
iTunes,
Vudu, and
Microsoft Movies & TV. In May 2021, Bassett released a single titled "Feel Something". He co-directed the music video for the song with fellow creative specialist Sarah Carpenter. In October 2021,
Billboard placed Bassett in its
Billboard 21 Under 21 list, which represented rising artists in the music industry under the age of 21. The EP was titled after the three songs; Bassett served as a co-creative director for the music videos of the songs. In February 2022, Bassett released a single titled "Doppelgänger", co-directing the music video for the song with YouTuber and fellow creative
Elle Mills. He co-starred along with actor and dancer Ciara Riley Wilson and
social media personality Chelsey Amaro in the music video. In April 2022, Bassett starred in a supporting role as Anthony, the protagonist's older brother, in the Disney+ original musical comedy film
Better Nate Than Ever, directed and written by
Tim Federle and based on his
2013 novel of the same name. The film received generally positive reviews. TJ O'Connell stated that his performance as Anthony "truly brings so much emotional weight to this movie. He represents that approval we need that we think is out of reach." while Joshua Axelrod of
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Bassett "sells Anthony's growth as he finally begins to understand his little brother". In May 2022, Bassett announced his eponymous debut
concert tour featuring stops in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In July 2022, he appeared as a contestant on the
ninth season of
Celebrity Family Feud, playing for the nonprofit organization,
Make-A-Wish, along with other
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series cast members.
2024–present: The Golden Years On May 17, 2024, Bassett released "The Golden Years", which served as the lead single from his
debut album under the same name. The album was announced the same day. Bassett embarked on The Golden Years Tour from July 2024 to January 2025 to support the album, visiting North America and Europe. Bassett made his
off-Broadway debut as Seymour in the musical
Little Shop of Horrors from December 2025 to March 2026. His first book, an autobiography titled
Rookie: My Public, Private, and Secret Life, will be released in May 2026. == Other activities ==