Cody Simpson Page 8

  On a photo shoot in NYC.

  During my concerts, I’m completely in the moment. I try to feel every lyric and guitar riff. I don’t even know what I’m thinking, other than trying to make it the best show possible. Sometimes, when there’s a particularly high-energy, high-intensity dance break, I’ll feel a certain thrill when I nail it and I can’t help but smile.

  I start to calm down pretty quickly when I come offstage after the show. As soon as I walk off, my security guard Jeff hands me a towel and a bottle of water, and he’ll help stow my guitar away. Then he walks me to the dressing room. He’s a funny guy and keeps everything lighthearted. I’ll head to the dressing room, and put on some music while I shower and change.

  How I feel after depends on how I think I did. As you’ll have gathered, I’m a perfectionist. If I make a mistake, or more than one mistake, or if something goes wrong, I’ll be quiet for a while. I’ll know that I could have performed better, or that the show could have been better. I’m critical of myself. Even when others congratulate me or say it was an awesome show, it doesn’t matter. I’ll know when I’ve left something on the stage unfinished.

  MY CREW

  Not long after I came back from the Welcome to Paradise tour, I went back out on the road as a special guest on the Big Time Summer tour with the band Big Time Rush. We started in July 2012 and went all over the US and Canada, playing about 60 dates in three months at venues holding anything from 5,000 to 18,000 people. It was incredible! It was my first really big tour, and crowds of that size just got me so amped.

  Nanna and Poppa came with us for a month of the tour with Big Time Rush. It was pretty awesome to show them how far I’d come. It must have been so hard for them when we moved, so I was stoked that they were proud of everything I’d achieved.

  Sometimes it’s just the fellas out on the road, but that time my whole family came. It was on that tour that our crew really grew, and with that growth I think some magic started to happen. Matt made some critical new additions – young guys that I could have fun with, and who wanted to be a part of something great and something special. Some of the notable new additions to that tour included guitarist Andrew Watt, who has become an important musical collaborator for me as well as a great mate.

  On the tour bus before a show.

  We also added Justin Stirling, a young guy who Matt found in Toronto. Justin is only three years older than me, so we could have been in high school together and, although he is really smart and hardworking, we sometimes act like we are. Justin is an aspiring artist manager. Matt took him under his wing and told me that he saw a lot of himself in Justin. He does a lot of different stuff on the road; some people in the touring business might refer to him as a road manager, but I just call him a great mate.

  Matt also helped steal our videographer, Florent Déchard, who I call Flo, from Warner France. Flo is a gifted young director and photographer who agreed to come on and start shooting our web series for The Warner Sound as well as collecting photographs for this book. We also added my tour manager, Steven Welc, who takes care of so much for all of us. We would be lost without his organization. The addition of that bunch to my current band and dancers created a new, special mix that made what could have been a long and grueling tour an amazing summer to remember.

  They’re such a crazy bunch of guys to spend time with! I’m close to everyone, but I think I’m probably closest to Andrew, Flo, Justin, and Jeff, since they are all really near to me in age. Justin is from Canada and Flo is from France, so our crew is quite international, which I like since I, too, am not from the US. It’s just great to be surrounded by some good, solid guys that I can trust and confide in. They’re like my big brothers.

  I really love being on the bus and on the road, partly because I have such a great band. Andrew, or Watt, as we call him – because his real last name is Wotman and he plays his music really loud – is the guy I write most of my songs with, usually while we’re on the bus on tour, but sometimes in the hotels. It often begins with us in the back of the tour bus. Watt will start things off with a cool guitar riff, and I’ll sing some melodies over the top of it, and then we’ll work out the music and lyrics. Sometimes I’ll have a concept percolating in my mind that I’ll want to put to guitar; sometimes I will have the guitar and he will help with the melody.

  The thing a lot of people hate about touring is sleeping in the coffin-like bunks of a moving bus. But I really like sleeping on the bus! I actually enjoy it more than sleeping at home or in the hotel. I like the little bunk, and the rocking of the bus sends me to sleep, as if I was on a boat. It’s a good atmosphere with my band and the whole team. We have a lot of fun. We stay up late and wake up late. We’ll turn in at 2 a.m. and wake up at midday sometimes, since we can’t do much until the venue opens – and then I’ll have to shower and get ready for the show. Oh, and school, of course! On off-days we often have to get up early and visit radio stations or local TV stations, which is not my favorite part of the job, but I guess I’m doing something right if they all want to talk to me.

  On tour, I get to do meet-and-greets with fans before the show. I really enjoy being able to meet my biggest fans, to be able to really talk to them. My fans are the people who make what I do so worthwhile. And they sometimes bring really sweet gifts, like scrapbooks, T-shirts, and cool hats – plus lots of ketchup, obviously, since I eat it on everything. Once, I got these custom-painted Vans sneakers with beach scenes that reminded me of the scenery back home. So sick!

  Sometimes fans will admit some really emotional and intense things – even that I’ve saved their lives. I don’t always know what to do or what to say. It’s hard for me to imagine that I can affect people in that way, but if I’m just being me and if I can help people, then it’s awesome. It’s easy to forget how much the songs mean to people.

  Filming our Harlem Shake video on our European tour bus after leaving my show in Dublin.

  WORKING WITH JUSTIN BIEBER

  Touring with Justin Bieber was a dope experience. He’s obviously one of the biggest artists in the world. The tour was a huge success in the US. Some of the dates sold out in less than an hour. From the moment when we arrived at the venue in Phoenix for the first show of the Believe tour you could tell that we were joining something epic, something that people were going to talk about for years to come. That night I felt like a part of history, opening up one of the biggest pop tours ever. It also motivated me even more to take my career even further.

  Justin is very outgoing. I really enjoy his company and he’s a lot of fun to kick back with. We’re both busy, so we don’t see each other too often, but he always makes an effort to check up on me. He’s also three years older, but I think the age difference will narrow as we age. We get along very well, and spend some time together on tour, playing each other new music and asking one another’s opinions.

  I admire his performances and his success. Justin is super talented. And his vocal ability is outstanding. He has a great presence onstage, and I’ve definitely learned from watching him.

  We’re often compared, or mentioned in the same sentences, because we’re coming through at the same time and we both emerged from YouTube. I respect him immensely for what he’s doing, but we have different styles and different influences. I find a lot of my inspirations come from more contemporary artists like John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Jack Johnson. From what Justin has mentioned, he is more influenced by R&B and hip-hop than I have been.

  While on the tour, we hit the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which had just opened to the public two months before the Believe tour show. That was an incredible night. I went on just before Justin, and our mate Jaden Smith opened the show. I remember, as I finished my performance, I was running offstage, when there, in the hallway, was the legend himself – Jay-Z. He had sold out eight dates there when the venue opened and he was backstage watching the show with Scooter, Will Smith, and a couple of other people. I did a double take as it was such a shock to see him a
t our show. He’s one of those people you never expect to see just standing in a hallway talking. Scooter knew I wanted to say hello and invited me over.

  I can’t even remember what I said. I tried to keep it cool, but I was a little flustered, I think, and I was sweaty, having just come offstage. All I remember is that Mr. Jay-Z said it was a great show. Now that’s pretty incredible.

  A few weeks after the Brooklyn show, we were in Miami, and Justin was filming a concert DVD. They were planning to film my set as well and include some of it on the DVD. There were a lot of cameras around and big rigs set up around the stage. I thought I should turn it up a bit and be on point. I was pretty hot for that one and thought it went really well. It was one of those nights when I walked offstage knowing I’d nailed it.

  There are other nights, of course, when it just doesn’t go as well. I struggle, and feel like I’m going through the motions, and I make a few mistakes. But then I try to think of it as the night I learn something. It’s all part of my journey to be the best artist I can be.

  JB surprising me onstage at my LA show on the Paradise tour.

  On a photo shoot in London.

  I’ve heard it said that the real test of an artist is how you perform when everything goes wrong, rather than when everything’s right. Well, I remember getting tested one night. I wear this strap around my torso that holds my ear-buds and headset pack. On this night, the pack fell out. I had the ear-buds in, but the cords were dangling, and I lost the pack on the ground and couldn’t find it. I just kept going, singing and dancing, but I was trying to look around to find it. When I did, I broke from the dance routine and did a slide to the side of the stage to grab it. I managed to plug it back in and keep going. When I got offstage, I told my dancers about it, and they hadn’t even noticed it had happened. It felt really good to know that I was able to handle something going wrong like that.

  VISITING EUROPE

  After covering the States, we headed to Europe for the second leg of the tour. I couldn’t have been more stoked! It was my first time in Europe, and we were going to so many amazing cities – Dublin, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London, Antwerp, Utrecht, Munich, Cologne, Barcelona, and Paris. I was so excited to introduce myself to my fans over there and hopefully bring some new people to my music. Of course, it was a big tour and a big production, so it required a lot of preparation.

  When I’m the opening act, I need to warm up the crowd, and that’s my main objective. I play all of my biggest songs, to keep the energy really high.

  It was awesome to be on tour with Justin Bieber and to be able to prove myself again and again, night after night. I know that not everyone who comes is a fan, but I want to make sure that everyone who leaves is one. I love to see the crowd go from subdued to on their feet. I love to see the energy rise when I turn the skeptics and haters into Angels and Gentlemen.

  I was surprised by the reception I received in Europe, though. Judging by the volume of the screams, at least, I think audiences enjoyed the show. My Irish and UK fans have been particularly enthusiastic! They’re so loud and welcoming wherever I go. Actually, sometimes they can be a bit too welcoming – we almost had to cancel one show mid-performance for fear of it becoming dangerous for the fans. The tour’s only drawback for me was that I hate airports, and I don’t like flying. I’m not scared; I’ve just done it so much that I’m sick of it. I much prefer being on the tour bus, with my band.

  We didn’t have time to do too much sightseeing, but we got to visit the Harry Potter set and saw Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. We took in the sights of Dublin before I was stopped by a mob of hundreds of fans on the street while shopping. I also got to see a lot of the beautiful architecture and old sights in Paris, Munich, and Barcelona. The architecture in Europe is breathtaking and inspiring.

  It’s amazing to have the chance to be a part of such a big tour. It’s not just great exposure; it’s about getting the chance to work with the best in the business – and to meet and make new fans. Also, visiting different countries, experiencing new cultures, and seeing new things helps to broaden my horizons, which in turn feeds into my music. It’s a perfect circle.

  Opening night in Glasgow, Scotland.

  SURF-ISTICATED

  When I’m not on tour or writing and recording music, I’m a pretty normal guy. I’m so not perfect, and I’m so not living the rock-star life every single day. Mum says I get a bit too highly strung about things. It’s hard for me to take a complete break from music. I can’t really relax. Even when I know I can really use some time away from it, most days I end up picking up the guitar or my ukulele and singing.

  I’m like that with everything – even with an Instagram photo it will take me a while to think about the caption and the filter, to make sure I like it enough to post. Same with picking out clothes, especially for a big event. I get a lot of advice from Alli on what to wear – I usually end up going in and out of her room showing her different shirts until she yells at me to stop.

  It’s the same with music. Alli is always really honest with me. I’ll play her early cuts of my songs, and she’ll give me real feedback. We have a similar sense of style and taste in music, and I really rely on her – for more than just fashion advice. She’s really the best. She’s just very warm and kind. Sometimes I’d even say she’s too nice. She’s like my dad in that way. They’re both so outgoing. I’m more like my mum. We’re both much more skeptical and reserved.

  I love that Alli is doing her own thing with videos and Twitter. I’m proud of her. She really has a lot going on for herself right now. She’s the spokeswoman and model for Impress Broadway Nails and Pastry Shoes, two really fun brands that totally fit her personality. Alli and I have worked with Pastry almost as long as we have been in the US. They have supported lots of tours and always come up with brilliant ways for us to connect with our fans. They even helped her create her website, which has been a huge success. Last year she also acted in her first movie, The 12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue. I loved hearing about her shoot days and experiences on set. I think it’s awesome that we can share some of these one-of-a-kind experiences with one another.

  And who knows what Tom will get himself into when he gets a bit older? The sky is the limit for him. Tom is an old soul and very intelligent. He’s been traveling since he was so young and he’s seen so much. Some of the things he says are just so profound that you question his age. How can something so remarkable come out of a nine-year-old boy? There are seven years between us, so we don’t share friends or anything, the way Alli and I do. But I love spending time with him. He helps me relax and shut out business for a while. He’s always waiting for me to get home from the studio so we can play Call of Duty for a bit.

  I know that he looks up to me, so I try hard to be a good role model for him. I think it’s important to pave a path that I would want him to walk down one day. I’ve noticed that girls often seem to be impressed by my relationship with Tom and my family. The few girls I’ve hung out with and brought around my family seem to like the way I treat my siblings. I just feel very lucky to have the family I do.

  I wouldn’t say that I’m high maintenance or focused on my looks. But, hey, style is very important. And I’m very picky about it. Like my hair, for example. It’s definitely changed as I’ve got older and found my own unique look. I used to have more of the shaggy surfer ’do when I was younger and first moved from Australia. But now I like my hair a bit more slick and styled, and a little higher – inspired by Elvis Presley or James Dean. To get it that way, I go through a few jars of hair wax and grooming clay a month. When I’m on the road, I always bring at least two containers with me, but sometimes I still run out!

  I like to describe my personal style as sophisticated surfer. I even came up with a term for it: “surf-isticated” – I try to stay true to my beachy roots! Being in LA, I’m of course influenced by Hollywood, so I like to suit up. I try to create a mix. A surfer yet classy kind of look. I
like it to be effortless, like James Dean. He completely embodied laid-back cool, which I totally admire.

  Of course, my man Justin Timberlake also has a pretty sophisticated style. I like what he wears onstage – usually a suit, although lately he has traded it in for the tuxedo. He must have been influenced by my Paradise album cover!

  Speaking of suits and fashion, Marc Jacobs is my favorite designer. My stylist, David Royer, works with him and his company to supply most of my red-carpet looks and stage wear. When I went to the Grammys earlier this year, I wore Marc Jacobs – trousers, a beach-inspired tan button-up shirt, and a very cool gray jacket. For a big night like that, you have to make sure you look fly and fresh.

  I usually wear a casual suit that looks a little funky – you know, something shiny and maybe a bold color for the stage, with a tank underneath. The stuff I wear onstage is a more extravagant version of my real-life style. We found this rare Marc Jacobs suit – all shiny blue. We put a nautical striped tank underneath and added gold shoes. It was pretty sweet!

  Pre-show pump.

  Surf days with friends.

  In real life, I wear boat shoes and a lot of surf brands, like Billabong and Vans. I get a lot of clothes, like T-shirts and casual stuff, from stores that my mates own on the Gold Coast. It’s always good to support the local surf shops.

  None of that would look good if I didn’t keep up my appearance physically. My security guard, Jeff, is also a personal trainer, so he tries to keep me healthy on the road. He helps me with workouts. I work out whenever I can, and it’s actually easier when I’m traveling with him than when I’m at home. I feel like I’m busier when I’m at home than I am when I’m on tour. At home I’m doing more with school, the studio, and rehearsals and everything. On the road, it’s all about the show and the fans.