I want to make music and that's it.
— Cody Simpson
It's always good to have someone you want to be like.
It's insane to have a first album, the first morning of it coming out, it's insane.
Everyone was like, 'Yeah this kid won't be able to sing when his voice changes, he'll have no career.' But it's gotten much better.
I'm a big perfectionist, and I like to make sure everything 120 percent, from the production to the vocal performance to the lyrics, the melody and everything.
My cell phone is the number one way for me to communicate with my fans. I love the direct connection I can make via social media whether I am on the road or at home.
I think I learned how to swim before I could walk.
I used to hang out at Pacific Fair all the time.
I think everyone should get out and go for a surf.
I wrote my first song when I was about eight. It was about putting a diaper on a chicken!
I have a fresh start, now that I've turned 18, which feels like such a symbolic age of independence and hopefully a new phase of my life.
It's nice to have the creative freedom to write about whatever and no longer feeling those restrictions I had when I was 15.
I want to do everything I can in my own life to protect and preserve the ocean.
All my close friends are normal dudes and then I will hang out with some girl who is a musician and everyone thinks that's what it's all about.
I found myself in a meeting on my 13th birthday, which I really had no idea the enormity of, but I was in a meeting with the CEO of Atlantic Records, who sort of signed me right then and there as I was playing guitar for him.
I get to travel so much. I get to see so many different parts of the world. I get to meet new people every day. I experience new cultures, meet new fans from different countries. I get to perform for them, too.
To be honest, romantic comedies are one of my favorite type of movies ever. I've seen most of them that are under the sun.
Sometimes I wish there could be a little more mystery and I'd been an artist in the 1960s when you could release your music and play the shows and no one would know anything about you other than that.
People feel so much more comfortable bullying behind a screen than in person. It gives them a mystique and makes them say things that they would never be strong enough to say in person.
I worked hard on giving my fans and giving the world a big piece of myself through the music.
I'm always online, 24/7 Facebooking and tweeting, because that's where my fans are.
I've really improved, I think, as far as just being able to get up onstage with my guitar and sing.
The Wish Factory did a tremendous job and I am amazed at how closely the doll resembles me. The clothes are modeled off actual stuff I wear, which is pretty cool.
I guess over the course of time, I started to open up to a lot of the issues surrounding the oceans. From my personal experience, being out in the water and seeing plastics floating around and thinking they are jellyfish and realizing they're plastic bags. I'm always that guy that will take it into the shore.
You can say, ‘Put your hands up.' And 30,000 people put their hands up. It's one of the craziest things.
Stuff that's really not that bad is made a big deal. People like to do that about everyone. You just gotta deal with it.
I first picked up a guitar at seven after watching Dad play at backyard barbecues.
I conceived of a concept, a project, a band. The Tide. The Tide, acting as a sonic exemplar of flow and fluidity. The way of things. The way of nature. Guitars, rock and surf music, psychedelia, transcendence from everyday bourgeois consciousness.
I try to stay very, very true to my roots and my lifestyle and I wanted to be able to share that with my fans.
John Mayer is the epitome of the lead guitar player so I sent him an email with a bunch of my music and he sent back really detailed advice.
I grew up on the beach and I grew up surfing and I grew up swimming in this very genuine beach town back in Australia, and it's just something I really want to reflect in my lifestyle and in the way I am, the way I represent myself, the way I dress and the music that I make.
Vocally, I had never taken a lesson when I put out my videos. It was just a lot of fun. I had watched my dad play guitar, so I just sort of did the same thing.
I was just a regular kid.
I like to do romantic things in New York. I have a bunch of restaurants that I love to go to and things like that.
I hope that my journey inspires kids from all around the world to pursue their passions and work hard for their dreams.
Being a public figure a lot of people will really love what you do, but you know there is also a ton of people who will hate on it.
To have all my hard work pay off is amazing.
I love being unpredictable and unexpected.
To be honest, the acoustic stuff's my favorite thing to do.
As a songwriter who uses lyrics to connect with others, it made perfect sense for me to partner with Hallmark, the leading greeting card brand that also uses words to help people make meaningful connections.
I have been a lover of the sea ever since I can remember.
I feel like I've visited everywhere in The States and done the whole touristy thing.
Intelligence is the sexiest thing in the world.
Actually, I did get to help very much in the design of the Cody doll. I made sure the clothes were cool and everything.
For me, it's more about the musicianship - focusing on the guitar, playing with my band, rather than just going out and doing what anyone my age can do with backup dancers and a track.
A mall was something that I just used to hang out in as a kid. And then you go there, and there's 4,000 people waiting for you to perform. It's a big difference.
I'm always good mates with everyone and stay on the good side of people. I never let any bad blood between anyone.
I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to take my music and how I wanted to be portrayed, and it was sort of, not done for me, but more directed.
Bullying is a topic that's been close to my heart for a while.
I surf a lot.
