Welcome to Paradise: My Journey

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Gold Coast Beginnings

Chapter 2 Two Loves

Chapter 3 The Making of a YouTube Star

Chapter 4 Hollywood Calling

Chapter 5 The Big Move

Chapter 6 From Surf Waves to Radio Waves

Chapter 7 My Music Family

Chapter 8 Global Success

Chapter 9 My Not-So-Glamorous Hollywood Life

Chapter 10 Finding Paradise

Chapter 11 On the Road

Chapter 12 To the Future

Conclusion

Thank you

Copyright

About the Publisher

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book

to my family for making me

the young man i am today and

for allowing me to pursue

my dreams. i also want to

dedicate this book to all of

my angels for believing in

me and helping me make my

dreams become a reality.

WELCOME TO PARADISE

I stand behind the heavy curtain, waiting. The energy of the crowd is palpable in the air. The O2 Arena in London is swelling with nearly 20,000 fans. This is going to be the biggest concert of my life! And I can’t wait to get out on stage and give them all I have. I wait to take the stage, and think about how far I am from my beach-town roots in Australia. I am halfway around the world and about to perform in front of a huge crowd. I roll up onto the balls of my feet, adrenalin just surging through every cell in my body. It’s nearly time!

I hear the music starting, my cue. It’s my last moment of calm before the storm. I turn to my security guard Jeff and we do our handshake, like always, before I go out on stage. I take a few steps and feel the heat of the bright lights and the power of the audience’s screams.

‘It’s such an honour to be here this evening! I want to thank my mate Justin Bieber for having me here in London. And I want to thank all these beautiful fans for coming out tonight. Before I get started, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Cody Simpson.’

I have always dreamed big, but I never grew up dreaming of being a pop star. Instead, my sights were set on achieving the highest honours in competitive swimming – Olympic gold medals.

My love of the water began when I was just a few years old when my parents started taking me to swimming pools and the beach. I started swimming competitively at the age of nine and I had a natural ability, even though I was smaller and scrawnier than the other kids. I was clearly the underdog, but I worked the hardest at our practices and when I went to my first competition with my local swimming club, Miami Swim Club, I won every race. That feeling of winning after training so hard was imprinted on me from that day on. I knew anything was possible if you worked hard enough for it.

That underdog mentality has fuelled me. I never lost that drive. And eventually I even made it to the Australian Schools Swimming Nationals and won most of my events. I like to push myself to achieve new goals. I set high standards for myself. Working hard just feels natural to me. I don’t know how to not be the way I am. Ever since I was a youngster, I’ve wanted to be something extraordinary. I was never content with coming second in a race, or not trying my best. I’m still not. I always push myself to the limit.

Music came to me just as naturally as swimming. My parents introduced me to music early on. Around the house or at family gatherings, my family and friends regularly pulled out guitars and sang along to the classic country songs by Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. I loved to sit with them and feel a part of the music, even before I knew how to play guitar.

Now I’m on this incredible journey. I’ve already come a long way – from the beaches of Australia to the bright lights of Hollywood – and I have a shot to leave my mark on the music world. This book is a look back at my journey here, from the beginning. Like any meaningful achievement, getting to this point came with a lot of sacrifices and a lot of tough choices. I also know that I have worked long and hard to get here. And that might be the best feeling there is: to put in the work and see it pay off when you start achieving your goals.

People always ask: would you rather have a gold medal or a platinum record? My answer is the platinum record. Both require tremendous work and great risk – but, honestly, you can’t share a gold medal. My music is for everyone who has taken this journey with me.

You, the fans, have been there for me every step of the way, and now it’s my turn to give something back to you. I want my fans to understand me and my story. As an artist, it’s hard to show people all of the different parts that make you who you really are. This is my chance to lift the curtain and invite all of you inside my world, to see my journey and the choices that led me here – to paradise.

THE MAKING OF ME

Where we come from can have a huge impact on who we are. It sure did for me. I was born on 11 January 1997, in paradise. Actually, where I was born just feels like paradise: the Gold Coast, an ocean-side city on the south-east edge of Queensland, Australia. I grew up in a surfing culture and that laid-back mentality runs deep in my blood. Even though I’ve lived in Los Angeles for over three years, I still see my Gold Coast attitude coming through in nearly everything I do.

My hometown is closer to Tokyo and Bangkok than it is to Los Angeles, New York, or London. The area exploded in the 1980s as a hot destination for surfers, and just before I was born it became the second most populated area in Queensland, after Brisbane. It remains a major tourist spot; we’ve got a great subtropical climate, theme parks, nightlife, and a rainforest nearby – so naturally people love it. It’s rarely below 50 degrees, even in winter.

While I was growing up, Dad worked as a stockbroker and later owned his own investment company. Mum stayed home to look after us kids. After me, there’s my sister Alli, born just 15 months later. Mum certainly had her hands full with us! She says it was kind of like raising twins, because we were so close together in age. We tended to share everything and even had the same friends as we grew up. I would also look out for Alli, always making sure she was okay. She is my little sister, after all.

And then Tom came along seven years after me. I remember how excited Alli and I were the day he was born. We went straight to the hospital after school to see him. It was pretty cool for Alli and me to have another sibling, another Simpson.

Mum is amazing, so nurturing, and always there, caring for us. We had a nice, comfortable house in a cool beach-side community called Mermaid Waters where, when I was old enough, I could grab my mates and hit the surf whenever I wanted.

My life was always very family-oriented and I really like that. Mum’s side of the family lived nearby on the Gold Coast, and Dad’s family lived just an hour or so north, in Brisbane. We’re extremely close – as close as a family can be.

I saw my grandparents and cousins almost every weekend, and we had regular family dinners. We celebrated holidays and birthdays all together, taking turns at different houses. Both of my grandmas, all of my aunts, and my mum would make dishes and bring them over for holidays, so we’d always have a big feast.

I’m especially close to my mum’s parents, who I call Nanna and Poppa, as they lived very nearby and I’d stay over at their house regularly. Poppa and I share the same birthday, so we’ve always celebrated together. Nanna makes my absolute favourite dessert, called pavlova. It’s meringue underneath, with sweet foam, cream and fruit on top. It’s like heaven! She always makes it on my birthday and on holidays. That dessert and Grandma’s homemade chocolate delights are things I really look forward to when I go home for a visit.

We’re in opposite seasons to the States and Europe, which means that Christmas is actually during the summertime in Australia, and at the end of December it’s very hot. So around the holiday we’d spend a lot of time outside, surfing and skateboarding, trying out new gifts, instead of nestled by the fire with cocoa. Summer is always so hot that most of what we would do was focused on water and staying cool. Christmas Day was usually spent in our bathing suits – we call them togs – all day long. We would be in the pool or at the beach, then dry off and eat, then get back in immediately. And we tend to serve cold dishes, because it is just too hot for anything else. So we’d have seafood, such as grilled shrimp, and salads and cold ham rather than the traditional turkey with all the trimmings. Another of my favourite dishes at Christmas is Great Nanna’s famous Western Samoan Chop Suey recipe. Poppa was born in Samoa and we have this dish at all our family gatherings to keep the tradition alive.

One Christmas, when I was seven years old, I got a brand-new BMX bike. There’s a BMX track outside my house, so that morning my cousins and I ran straight outside to try it out on the track. I wiped out pretty hard and nearly broke my wrist, so instead of eating our holiday meal at home we spent the afternoon in the hospital getting it checked out.

For my family, it was all about being outside and being adventurous. From BMXing to surfing – we spent a lot of time together in the outdoors. It’s just the Gold Coast culture. Everyone lives and breathes the ocean and surfing. I learned to surf at nine years old. My dad, Uncle John, and even Poppa all surf.

We moved a few times within the Gold Coast, because my parents used to buy apartments and houses, fix them up and sell them. But no matter where we lived, my bedroom always reflected my passions – a surfboard in one corner, a guitar in the other corner, with a big Australian flag on one of the walls and surf posters on the others. I love to be surrounded by the things that make me happy.

My family were always very encouraging. When I was eight or nine, Nanna asked me what I was going to do when I grew up. I answered: ‘I’m going to be really famous and successful, but I just don’t know at what yet.’ Nanna said she got goose bumps when I said it. My family encouraged my big dreams even when I wasn’t sure what my goals were, but especially when I homed in on what I was passionate about.

I feel so blessed that my parents, grandparents, and entire extended family created an environment where we kids could all think big.

My whole family follows my music career pretty closely. They’ve always supported me, and our decision to leave Australia. They are always telling me how proud they are of me. It means a lot to me to know that I have them behind me.

Alli and I have always had loads in common. We spent a lot of time together when we were growing up. We’re probably closer than the average brother and sister. We’ve had our arguments and, like many brothers and sisters, we’ve fought over trivial things, especially when we were young. But we never let it go too far. We wind up feeling bad for each other and it always ends up as a joke. And now, since we moved away from home, we hardly ever argue and generally rely on each other pretty much as best friends.

Alli used to get annoyed because I used to sing non-stop. I’d have a song in my head and just sing it around the house, over and over again. She’d be doing her maths homework or concentrating on something at the kitchen table and I’d walk by singing, and she’d yell for me to stop. Actually, she still gets annoyed at me for doing this!

Our parents were always pretty protective of us. They still are – especially here in the States – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I really respect my parents and their decisions, and I don’t hassle them about saying no to something. My dad tends to be more laid-back than my mum. My mum is a little quieter around new people and in new situations, while my dad is more open and talkative right off the bat. I’m naturally a little quieter, like my mum, but once I feel comfortable, then I’m more outgoing and open like my dad.

As a kid, I was pretty shy; it took a while for me to trust people and come out of my shell. So I’d always be sort of hiding behind my mum when I was around new people. But once I warmed up, I’d be running around. Alli would probably say that I’m not really silly around anyone until I have spent a decent amount of time with them first.

But that innate shyness never got in the way of my love of being onstage. As kids, Alli and I would always do little performances together at family gatherings, where we’d make up a dance or I would sing and Alli would dance. We used to go into full costume for these, and my parents and whatever family members were around would sit patiently and watch our little show, clapping and going on like we were the greatest. We liked to film ourselves and watch it over and over again. We loved it! We’d even do our musical performances on my grandparents’ boat, when they took the family out.

Our very good family friends from the Gold Coast, the Baildons, were always around for these shows. Andrew and Karen Baildon are the best friends of my parents, and their kids Yasmin and Flynn are close with me and Alli. We all grew up together and spent most weekends together. Alli, Yasmin, Flynn, and I would put on concerts and perform dances and skits.

I was all laughs when we goofed around at home, but I took school much more seriously, even during grade school and junior high. I gravitated more towards English and creative subjects, but I still tried my best in maths and science. I was generally well behaved in school and somewhat quiet. And I was a perfectionist from an early age. When it came to my schoolwork, when it got to looking too messy or when my handwriting wasn’t up to par, I would erase the whole thing and redo it. My teachers used to get mad at me for that! I guess I was over-thinking things a bit. I just always remember wanting things to be done perfectly.

With Mum and Alli in the Whitsunday Islands.

‘Selfies’ with Tom.

My first date! with Madi Marr.

Baking day with Alli.

Family holiday in the Whitsundays.

Visiting cousin Kai at school.

In the Bahamas meeting the extended family!

With my family at Santa Monica pier.

Early surfing days on the Gold Coast.

Big family gatherings.

Dad and I at the Jingle Ball.

Alli and I on the tour bus.

Dressed to impress at the G’Day LA gala ball.

‘Selfies’ with good mates.

SWIMMING DREAMS

I started taking swimming lessons when I was six years old at the Baildons’ Superfish Swim School. I was immediately very comfortable in the water. I took to it right away. Andrew Baildon, who was an Olympic swimmer himself, saw some potential in me and was a great mentor for me from an early age.

It was only natural for me to want to take it to the next level, and when I was eight years old I signed up under elite coach Denis Cotterell at the Miami Swim Club. Denis had coached my mum and Andrew and many other Olympians and world record holders, so it meant a lot to me to be able to train under him.

When I was young, the swimming team was a lot of fun and a good way to set goals and work towards something.

I think my love of goals and hard work comes from my parents. They always told me it was important to work hard and try your best. And they knew what they were talking about. My mum and dad swam competitively themselves, and they both made it pretty far in the national competitive circuit. It’s remarkable to me that my mum and dad competed at such an elite level! My mum swam in the Pan Pacific Games and was ranked seventh in the world, and my dad was an Australian champion. They both were number one overall for certain events in Australia – Mum in the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke, and Dad in the 200 metres breaststroke – but they both got injured and didn’t make it to the Olympics to represent Australia.

They don’t dwell on what might have been, but I think there was an extra gleam in their eye when I started to pursue the sport. They were clearly thrilled that I was passionate about swimming and reached a competitive level. Their sense of discipline must have sunk in at some point, because even at just nine years old I really put my heart into improving at swimming.

I practised three to four times a week. My races would be just 25 metres, but at the time it all felt very important – and, of course, fun. Two years later, I swam in my first race and won it. It was a big moment for me. I was so proud of myself, and my parents ran over to me after the race to celebrate! I felt the energy of the cheers during the race and the excitement of winning for days afterwards. I still have the ribbon from that first race. From then on, I was hooked!

We had swimming meets every other weekend in the summer, and almost as frequently in the winter as well. As I became more competitive, it became a year-round sport for me. I loved the thrill of racing from an early age. At the meets I also loved messing about with my friends and eating the good food they had at the pool café. My closest friends were always people I met through swimming. I still keep in touch with quite a few of them and they often come over to Los Angeles to stay and hang out with me.

I was a late bloomer and I felt fairly small standing beside some of the kids who had early growth spurts. I think it just made me that much more determined. I’ve always been very competitive, but I’m never a sore loser. I’m always gracious in defeat. I think how a person is when they lose shows a lot about their character.

Going for gold at the Gold Coast Swimming Championships.

Feeling like an Olympian with Grant Hackett’s Olympic medals.

MUSICAL BEGINNINGS

Just as the surf and swimming culture was a passion of mine from the very beginning, music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Whenever we would get together with family and friends, it seems like we always ended up around a bonfire or a dinner table playing and singing along to our favourite songs. We hosted these barbecues and parties with close family friends, and they would bring their guitars and we’d all gather round and sing songs. Everyone would join in and I remember sitting next to my parents, in this big circle, and loving the sound of all of our voices mixing together.

We mostly played country music, classics by Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, and sometimes a little Elvis was thrown into the mix. When I was six, I really fell in love with country music. I loved the sound of the tinny guitars and how the songs were more like stories. There was really a journey unfolding in each one, full of emotion and layers. It set a high bar for me when I began to write my own songs.