Joshua Says His New Song Isn't About Olivia, But Fans On Twitter Aren't Convinced

By now, everyone has heard of Joshua Bassett. Not only is he one of the leading stars of High School Musical: The Musical: The series, but he's supposedly the inspiration behind Olivia Rodrigo's No. 1 hit "Drivers License." His previous single "Lie, Lie, Lie" had fans thinking it was a diss toward his rumored ex, and now, these tweets about Joshua Bassett's "Only A Matter Of Time" have them spiraling again.

When Rodrigo dropped "Drivers License" on Jan. 8, fans instantly assumed she was referencing Bassett because she mentioned her ex was a singer with an older, blonde girlfriend. Bassett, who's reportedly dating Sabrina Carpenter now, definitely fit the bill, so Twitter blew up with speculation there was a love triangle happening behind the scenes.

The situation only got more dramatic when Bassett released "Lie, Lie, Lie" — a song about a friend who spread rumors about him — and then Carpenter came out with "Skin," which was almost definitely a response to "Driver's License."

Ahead of "Only a Matter of Time"'s release, Bassett got in front of any rumors the track (which is about someone betraying him and it only being a matter of time before the truth comes out) is about Rodrigo. In statement posted on Instagram stories, Bassett explained the song was inspired by the dangers of social media. "I wrote this song in the summer of 2020 in a moment in time where social media was bringing a lot of darkness to my life," he said. "It was healing to put my phone down, turn off the noise and just write. There’s good that comes from social media, but it’s also become a place where people can say anything about anyone, no matter how false or damaging with no accountability. We've gotta be much kinder to each other and recognize there are real people behind the screens!"

But that hasn't stopped some fans from insisting Rodrigo, and the whole "Drivers License" saga of 2021, are the actual inspiration.

Then again, other fans don't think the timeline for when Bassett wrote his new single lines up with all the "Drivers License" drama, so it may not be about Rodrigo after all.

Others just don't have the mental capacity to figure out what the heck is going on between Bassett, Rodrigo, and Carpenter and focus on their day-to-day responsibilities.

In the end, most fans agree that "Only a Matter of Time" is a work of lyrical genius.

Check out Bassett's new single "Only a Matter of Time" below: