Former Nickelodeon heartthrob Drake Bell is ready to make a comeback, teasing new music in a TikTok video just months after the bombshell revelations shown in the “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV” docuseries.
Bell began his music career in the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until the mid-2000s when he released his second album, “It’s Only Time,” which featured the popular single “I Know,” where he solidified his presence in the music industry. This was around the same time that he appeared on the popular Nickelodeon show, “Drake & Josh.”
But his career took a wild turn after leaving Nickelodeon, with a string of controversies and legal troubles making headlines–which have impacted his public image and career. Now, Bell is ready to bounce back big time.
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Drake Bell dropped a teaser for his new music, and the sneak peek got everyone talking.
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Drake Bell Drops Teaser Of Upcoming Music
In a teaser for his new song, “By The Ocean,” shared on Tuesday, Drake Bell is seen walking along the beach as he sings, “Spent my last dollar on this bus to the beach / Brought my hand sanitizer and a bottle of bleach / Sun tan location / By the ocean / Dancing in my speedo slow motion / Then I stop / And the beat just goes / Got sand on my toes / And my cheerios.”
After hearing the small snippet, fans say the song is “already stuck in my head and the song isn’t even released yet.”
“So catchy,” another one of his followers commented.
“This is my new jam,” a third said.
“By The Ocean” is out Friday.
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Drake Bell Comes Out As A Sexual Abuse Victim
“You know, anytime I had an audition, or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house,” Bell said in the docuseries, recalling his experience working with Brian Peck, who has no relation to his former co-star Josh Peck. “I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep, and I woke up to him, I opened my eyes, I woke up, and he was sexually assaulting me.”
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“And I froze and in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I had no idea how to get out of the situation,” he added, holding back tears.
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The Abuse Got ‘Worse And Worse’
The former Nickelodeon actor said the abuse “just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse,” leaving him “trapped” with “no way out.”
“The abuse was extensive, and it got pretty brutal,” he said.
Drake Bell’s 2024 Hit ‘I Kind of Relate’ Was Also About The Sexual Abuse
Just days after Drake Bell opened up about being a victim of sexual abuse during his Nickelodeon days, he dropped a powerful track called “I Kind of Relate,” complete with a music video that hit hard.
The song’s lyrics—“running away / From the abuse and all the shame”—seem to channel his past, while the video pays homage to his Nickelodeon roots, featuring a TV set similar to that of “Drake & Josh.”
The video kicks off with a young boy rehearsing his lines on a TV set before an adult man ushers him into a trailer and shuts the blinds. When the boy stands up, the back of the chair—and the trailer’s exterior—reveals his name: “Drake Bell.”
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The ‘I Kind Of Relate’ Music Video Seemingly References His ‘Drake & Josh’ Days
Things take a darker turn when Bell himself appears battered and bloodied, sitting in a car as if he’s just survived a brutal crash. After undergoing surgery, he sits in on what appears to be a group therapy session and eventually picks up a guitar in a set that greatly resembles the bedroom that his character, Drake Parker, and his step-brother, Josh Nichols (played by Josh Peck) shared on “Drake and Josh.”
“I kind of relate / I found beauty in my pain / I’m running away / From the abuse and all the shame / ‘Cause no one comes / To my house anymore / No one knocks on my door / I kind of relate / The wrong decisions I have made / I wanted to stay / But I couldn’t last another day / My golden days / They seem so far and gray / So I’m running away (running away).”
In the YouTube caption, Bell wrote, “This song was inspired by my past, and now that my story is being told I felt the time was right to share it.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit the official National Sexual Assault Hotline website to speak with a sexual assault service provider.