[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Joshua Bassett opened up about a difficult time in his life.

The 20-year-old actor recently sat down for an interview with GQ, in which he talked about how he “experienced sexual abuse a lot” throughout his childhood — but did not remember it until last year. Bassett explained he did some soul-searching with the aid of self-help books, journals, and therapy in recent months after moving out of his West Village apartment in New York. From that self-work, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star explained he soon recalled the traumatic experience that he’s just now starting to process:

“I didn’t remember that until last year, which is pretty insane. I buried it so far. And when I was a teen, a much older man routinely abused me, and I wasn’t able to see it for what it was at the time.”

Related: Joshua Bassett’s New Song Responds Directly To Olivia Rodrigo!

He dropped a new song called Set Me Free on Friday, which he shared was inspired by processing this trauma. As Bassett describes it, the track is “an anthem for me and the sort of people who’ve held pain and power over me my whole life,” adding:

“You’ve taken so much from me, but you don’t get to take all of me.”

However, the singer noted he is “so much stronger than I was before” and plans to dive deeper into his journey on an upcoming episode of a podcast series for “heavy talks.” Ultimately, Bassett believes the conversation will “hopefully help people who are experiencing that.” Even more so, he just wants it to be “the podcast that I wish I had when I was a kid.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-6556-4673.

[Image via WENN/Avalon]

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