It all started with a muse. As well as being an Emmy-winning actor, best known for his role in, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the multitalented Joshua Bassett is a more than capable songwriter. He recalls how an age-old motivation first led him to discover his craft.

“I actually went to ask this girl to a homecoming formal, and she had turned down three other guys,” he says, calling from his native California.

“I wrote her a song to ask her myself and she said yes. I remember driving home and thinking, ‘That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I should just write music!’”

What started out as a gesture of teenage romance has since evolved into a fully-fledged career. Bassett signed to Warner in 2019, before releasing a string of singles and his self-titled debut EP. Last July saw the arrival of his first full-length The Golden Years, a record that captures the highs and lows of the last four years of the artist’s life.

“I think everyone looks at the past with a bit of nostalgia, through those rose-coloured glasses,” Bassett reflects. “Things weren't perfect, but they were simpler. But I do still think the golden years are ahead of me, so I’m not at all believing that I’ve peaked.”

The result is a mature, well-crafted pop record, offering an intimate look into the 23-year-old’s late teens and early 20s. Bassett reveals how many of the tracks on the album were born from his spontaneous songwriting process, with most of them being “vomited out” while in the studio.

“That's where the magic happens. I can't explain it. It's very elusive and unpredictable,” he says.

This approach birthed one of the album’s most personal tunes: ‘Mirror,’ a track which delves into themes of identity and scathing self-reflection.

“We were trying to write a club banger that day, we had this crazy beat but not a single word was coming out,” Bassett says.

“I went outside to take a breather. I came back and sat down at the piano and was feeling a certain way. Not recognising the person you see in the mirror is a pretty common thing. Whether that's through life hitting you hard, and it really affects you, or not recognising yourself anymore because you're so depressed.

“Dealing with self-hatred is an interesting one, because I've been with me my whole life. I know the things I'm not proud of or and also how far I've gotten from where I've been. Whether it's through addiction, depression or different things that have happened in life it's easy to fall far from who you were.”

Self-examination has been a constant in Bassett’s journey, having been grappling with the pressures of fame since he was a teenager.

“We live in an industry and society where your identity is based on how you look, and very little on who you are. I’ve learned to get under the hood and work through the things I need to work through. My identity is not in the opinions of others.”

More recently, Bassett's outlook has been shaped in by his faith, which he describes as his anchor during difficult times.

“The only thing that has gotten me through the last couple of years has been my faith,” he says. "I've always been a spiritual guy, but it's been quite a winding road for me. And I'm always trying to seek the truth. I'm always trying to learn more and more and find out the deeper spiritual truths.”

Nonetheless, life in the public eye hasn’t been easy. Bassett’s faith, as well as his personal life—including aspects of his sexuality and romantic relationships —have been subjects of debate, an invasive level of attention exacerbated in the world of social media .

“It’s a wild thing being in the public eye, because you're getting the full spectrum,” he continues. “People can adore you, and the very next day, they can hate you. And then the very next day, they can adore you again. You have to reject both sides and find a healthy middle. I definitely dealt with a lot of issues specifically because as an actor and an artist, I am the product. It's hard not to put your identity in your performance. The work is me.”

Beyond the realms of music and acting, Bassett has channeled his energy into philanthropy. As well as his work with Teen Line and the Sunrise Movement, charities dedicated to mental health and the environment respectively, he founded Sammy Sundays - an initiative dedicated to supporting homeless individuals, offering them food and some much needed company once a week.

“When you look at suicide rates, specifically in men, there's a direct correlation there with feeling invisible and feeling alone and feeling isolated,” he observes.

“The number one killer, the number one thing we hear is the problem on the streets is not being hungry, it's being isolated, ignored and alone. So I hope that we can start to have more real conversations and that it will be safe to have more conversations.”

Dialogue, of any sort, seems harder than it should be amidst the backdrop of a tumultuous political climate of the U.S.

“I'm working right now on having compassion for people whose viewpoints I can't wrap my head around,” Bassett shares. “There's something that led them to believe what they believe. It's not that I'm naive and think everyone's got the best intentions and they're just misunderstood. I'm not saying that at all, but I think the only way that we're going to be able to make change is to hear each other and to love each other.

“I'll bring it back to Sammy Sundays, because it's a good reference point. We will be serving people and some people will walk by and be like, ‘Do you really think that this is going to help them? They need to get a job and you're just encouraging their homelessness.’

"They’re not staying homeless because they're going to get a sandwich every Sunday. Us loving them, helping them know they're seen, helping them feel part of a community, that’s what's going to help them to get back on their feet. There’s obviously not a direct correlation to politics, but I do think the rule applies.”

Looking forward, Bassett is set to bring The Golden Years on the road, stopping by at Dublin's 3Olympia on January 13. A video he uploaded to social media promoting the tour saw him and a pal, funnily enough, enjoying a pint of Guinness. It's unlikely, he reveals, that he'll be enjoying a jar of the lauded black stuff when he arrives on these shores though, with the singer staunchly commitment to a monastic lifestyle while on tour.

"I have a no drinking rule when I'm on tour, but I just might have to break it in Ireland," he laughs. "I have no sugar and no alcohol- I'm pretty locked in. I have to work out every day, it's too much of a responsibility. I get that some people can have a drink and be fine, and more power to them, but I like to be sharp and on my game to give people the best possible show."

• Joshua Bassett comes to Dublin's 3Olympia on January 13, 2025. For more information and tickets, click here. Listen to The Golden Years below: