Photo: Harper Smith
Songwriter’s Monthly Presents:
Cody Simpson
Getting To Know Cody Simpson This summer belongs to Cody Simpson! We’re talking living the dream with nonstop touring, a record release (in mid July, Surfers Paradise debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200), hit-singles, and radio and television appearances galore. You name it, he’s done it . . . or has plans to do it, soon! Crikey, he’s even got an autobiography coming out [Welcome To Paradise: My Journey, available this October from HarperCollins.]! Clearly, this is his time!
“When you listen to the music, you understand my personality and my lifestyle.” And how apropos that his moment is happening during these hotter months! The multi-talented Gold Coast Aussie with the to-die-for front wave hairstyle and impressive physique is all about the sun and surf lifestyle. Via his new album, Simpson hopes to share that and more with his fans. Indeed, Surfers Paradise (named after his hometown) isn’t just an incredible collection of easygoing shoreline pop that you just can’t get enough of, it’s Cody opening up and saying, This is who I am. Utilizing the enviably chill swagger of his melt-girls-hearts Australian accent, the charismatic teen related, “It was difficult when I first started out because I was so young and I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do . . . I hadn’t discovered my sound yet. Most people have the opportunity to do that before they are thrown into the public eye, but I was musically experimenting in public.”
Photo: Harper Smith
“It was difficult, but at the same time, I’m glad that I got to see what my fans liked and what they didn’t like,” he continued. “I’m glad that things have happened not too quickly and not too slowly and it’s just been an awesome, gradual growth with my fans. Now is the perfect time for the world to hear this album and really understand who I am.”
Simpson’s impressive songwriting skills often produce a savory blend of both enticing surface and engaging substance! The sublime “Imma Be Cool,” featuring Asher Roth, has a warm, laid-back vibe that makes it an instant standout track on the album. Digging deeper than the crazy-contagious rhythms of the groove, you discover that the inspiring lyrics reveal the artist’s philosophy of life and love. “Inspiration can strike me at the most random times,” Cody informed. “I can be on a plane — I get a lot of inspiration when I’m flying for some reason — I’ve even been struck with inspiration at the dentist! It can happen in the most random places, sometimes. But I really enjoy writing at night . . . and especially by the water. Whenever I’m around
nature or the ocean, I’m definitely much more inspired than I am, say, in a hotel room.” Besides the numerous establishing words such as “ocean,” “summertime,” “shoreline,” “surfer,” “swimming,” “water,” and “wave,” which are deftly sprinkled throughout the lyrics of the album to set and reinforce the location and mood, somehow the music, itself, seems infused with that carefree feeling of being at the beach on the most perfect day. “The album is very true to myself, it’s just a classic summer album. When you listen to the music, you understand my personality and my lifestyle. The songs are a reflection of everything that I try to represent.”
“This album was inspired by the lifestyle of the ocean and the beach and I think reggae is something that is very much associated with that. It wasn’t something that I was totally interested in when I was
Photo: Harper Smith
One of the more recent additions to Cody’s musical tastes is reggae. Simpson’s growing fondness for the style can be detected in several songs on Surfers Paradise. Although most of the tracks reside much closer to pop with an island-ish flavor, there are at least two, “No Ceiling” and “Love,” that are, first and foremost, straight-ahead reggae.
younger, but it’s definitely something that I’ve been introduced to as I’ve been in the industry.” When asked how Ziggy Marley (oldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley) ended up on the album, Copy replied, “One of the guys who was helping me A&R the project knew Ziggy and his team. We played him a song called ‘Love’ and asked him to be on it. He loved the vibe. Having Ziggy perform on the song added a great world feel to the track, something that it definitely needed. Just to have his name on the album, a member of the Marley family, is such an honor!” Perhaps the most notable Surfers Paradise song is a bonus track that actually isn’t even on the album, at all. It’s a recording that Simpson is offering along with a video on YouTube. [You can listen Here.] “Awake All Night” is a tender ballad with a delicate lead guitar line that simply bristles with passion. Cody’s heartfelt, late night lyrics and intimate vocal performance create a moment so beautifully direct that the song is destined to become a classic.
“I had a song that I was going to record for the album, but I just wasn’t into it. I told my manager and he said, ‘Okay if you don’t want to do it, write and produce your own.’ So, when my manager came back a couple of hours later, I had this song called ‘Awake All Night’ finished up. I wrote all the guitar parts. I had my musical director on the tour help me with the bass line and stuff like that, but for the most part it was something I compiled myself. I’m pretty proud of it.”
“The songs are a reflection of everything that I try to represent.”
“Awake All Night” is Cody, honest and vulnerable, offering his fans access to his innermost thoughts and feelings, letting them really get to know him. In his bio, Simpson states, “Everything I do, whether it's the music, the live shows, and now the book, is about letting the fans get to know me better. I want them to feel as if we’re mates.” Cody’s latest material has definitely accomplished that goal! If you’d like to get to know Cody Simpson, simply check out Surfers Paradise. For even more on Cody, check out the following links: http://codysimpson.com http://facebook.com/codysimpsonmusic http://twitter.com/codysimpson http://youtube.com/codysimpsonmusic