Fifteen-year-old Cody Simpson is as close as it’s possible to get to a hand-picked heir to Justin Bieber. As a singer, he’s arguably better than Bieber, now 17, was at a similar point in his career, and he’s a frighteningly charismatic live performer. But more important: Simpson is well-connected (Bieber manager Scooter Braun is part of his team, and he has a major label deal with Atlantic Records), adorably accented (he’s Australian) and has really great hair (wavy and surfer-y and blond).
Simpson started out as Bieber did, with YouTube performance videos that got him discovered by the right people. He moved from Australia to Los Angeles, released a few singles, landed a few TV guest spots and gradually began to build an impressive following on Twitter and in teen mags.
Right now, Simpson is promoting his 2011 EP, “Coast to Coast,” with a headlining tour that will bring him to the House of Blues on Valentine’s Day.
He’s also recording a full-length debut that might come out this summer, though major labels unfortunately tend to delay the release of such things longer than they should. Which means that in 2012, Simpson will either approach Bieberian levels of fame, or become the next Greyson Chance (Remember Greyson Chance? No? Right.).
Simpson is well-spoken and polite, careful to frequently mention how grateful he is, how excited, how humbled. If the pressure is getting to him, or homesickness, he won’t say. Instead, he says things like, “At the end of the day, it comes down to the music.” Or, “It’s important to grow as an artist.”
It’s tough to separate the actual 15-year-old kid from the presumably media-coached superstar-in-training. It’s also tough not to worry about him.
Q: Have you thought that this tour may be the last time you ever play small venues?
A: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And I think when I graduate from those size venues I’m going to make the most of it. Hopefully in the future we’ll definitely be stepping it up.
Q: You’re currently in the studio recording your debut. How’s it going?
A: I’m very picky when it comes to music, and I’m really trying to find that sound and just those great records that define who I am as an artist. (I don’t want) just to be that artist that has the smash hits on the radio.
Q: You’re trying to make a statement: This is who I am.
A: Yes, exactly. … I think it’s time now that I make a statement and that a lot of people see what I can do. Honestly, I’m just excited with everything that’s been going on, and I couldn’t be more excited and couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity. It’s going to be a great year. I think I’m going to show a lot of people.
Q: There have been tweeted photos of you and Justin Bieber working on something in the studio together. Any news you’d like to break?
A: I work with a lot of different artists, and Justin and I … I’m still at the very beginning of my career, and it’s very cool to have someone there who’s been in the position before to be there and making music with you. Justin and I feel like family. We have the same manager, and whenever we hang out, we have a good time. … Musically it’s all a big circle, and we all support each other in every way. It’s all love and family.
Q: That’s a lot of scary pressure to put on yourself, to have his career (as your example).
A: Yeah. I wouldn’t call it pressure, though. I definitely am hard on myself sometimes, but I don’t think I should look at Justin and say, “If I didn’t do exactly what he did, then I wasn’t successful,” you know what I mean? I definitely want to create my own path and my own lane and be my own artist and be, like, “This is the way I did it, not the way Justin did it.”
Q: When you first moved to LA from Australia, was it strange, this introduction into a new, Hollywood kind of life?
A: Yeah, my life was the complete opposite before. I was swimming, and my life was laid-back and relaxing. (I was worried about) getting my homework done. I was definitely brought into such a crazy world, but honestly it’s what I’ve been dreaming of for a little while. … At the end of the day, it comes down to music, and I love making music.
Q: Do you miss life back when it was simpler?
A: Um. No. I don’t think I miss — I miss my friends and my family, but I think I really love what I’m doing right now. I definitely wouldn’t ask for anything else.
Q: When you first put those videos on YouTube, what were you expecting would happen?
A: It was just for fun, for my friends and my family, and it encouraged me a little bit. I was like, “Hey, why don’t we just put it online?” And then once I started getting these views and people wanted me to post more videos, it was something that could change into something bigger. I always thought, “What if,” you know? I never thought it would actually happen, but I always thought, “What if someone saw these videos and wanted me to come to the USA? And turn this into a career?”
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