Drake Bell Reflects on Coverage of His Teenage ‘Missteps’ (Exclusive)

• Drake Bell starred in The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh on Nickelodeon in the 2000s
• The actor tells PEOPLE about “trying to figure out life” as an “adolescent” after Drake & Josh ended in 2007
• Bell says “there’s a strong love” for his music “outside the U.S.” and he will be heading to South America for tour dates in support of his latest album, Non-Stop Flight

Life in Hollywood can be tough on anyone, but navigating it as a kid put extra pressure on Drake Bell.

“When you’re an adult, of course, it still has [an] effect, but when you’re this adolescent trying to figure out life and all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Why every time?’” Bell, 38, tells PEOPLE.

The Nickelodeon alum feels like even when he didn’t “make a mistake” while out and about in the 2000s, the media would try to make it seem like he did.

“You’re walking with your friends and you trip outside of the Chateau Marmont on your way to the taco shop, and all of a sudden the next day it’s like, ‘Drake Bell stumbles drunk out of the Chateau Marmont,’” Bell says. “You’re like, ‘There was a crack! I tripped on the sidewalk!’ It’s always just that highlighting of all of your missteps.”

Bell came up during the peak tabloid era, but he’ll take that over today’s intense social media scrutiny.

“I’m thankful that Josh and I missed the social media era while we were working,” he says of former Drake & Josh costar Josh Peck. “We didn’t have to compare, ‘Why did Josh have more followers than I do on Instagram? Oh, Josh got more likes on his picture than I did that I posted. What do I have to do?’ I’m just so glad that we didn’t have to live through that.”

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Though Bell has been focusing on his music as he tours the world for his latest album, Non-Stop Flight, the “I Kind of Relate” singer hasn’t abandoned acting. Bell reveals he’s been working on a “fun romantic comedy” in Mexico, where he’s amassed a large fan base.

“I’m in Mexico a lot,” Bell says. “I recorded half my record there. I do a lot of work there, but I feel like I don’t have a permanent place right now just because I’m traveling so much. It’s literally spend two days in my apartment and then every other day is in a hotel, on a plane, in a car. I’m not sure where I live right now!”

The ex-teen star does consider Mexico home now, though, after his music took off there following the end of Drake & Josh.

“I don’t know if in the States maybe sometimes there’s been a stigma of like, ‘Oh, you’re on TV. You’re not a real music [person].’ They just blur the lines outside the United States,” Bell hypothesizes of why his music took off in Mexico and South America. “So they know me from the show, but the first time we went out there, they’re singing all the lyrics from the album, the songs that aren’t on the show, and fans are telling me about my lyrics and my songs. There’s a strong love for the music outside the U.S. It’s really cool.”

Bell says that “loving what I do” has helped him navigate life after opening up about the sexual abuse he endured as a child star under his former dialogue coach Brian Peck in the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV docuseries last year.

“I want to get on stage and perform. I want to make movies and TV. I want to make people laugh,” he continues. “I got to just stay focused and happy and healthy and keep my mind away from the demons. They’re always there, but being positive, trying not to dwell and keeping people around you that care about you, that’s something that I really gained. I have people that really care about what I have to say, and I need to focus on this.”