Teen sensation Cody Simpson announces his UK tour for all the British fans. Cody will be performing songs with his band off his new album, ‘Free’, which is due to be released this year!
I caught up with Cody on Wednesday as he explains all!
Can you tell me about your new album ‘Free’ which is due to be released this year?
Cody: sure! It’s the first independent record of mine, it was a really liberating experience to work on it and it was a different experience than anything that I’ve done in the past. I was encouraged to let my record label know that I desired to be independent and do it by myself and start my own record label ‘Coast House Records’ and distribute it through that. It was a creative freedom that it gave me and it was so cool and such a cool experience, being able to write about real things and having no creative boundaries is such a cool thing. I’ve put a really cool band together and it was done in a more rock sensibility and a new approach to recording.
Miley Cyrus designed the artwork for your single ‘Flower’; will Miley be working with you on anything else this year?
Cody: She’s become a very good friend of mine, we think in similar ways and she has a great open mind. I really admire the way that she thinks and the way she goes about things and I love her happy hippy foundation. Yeah we’ve been working on the artwork for ‘Flower’ together and I’m a big fan of the way she doesn’t care what others think.
Can you tell me about your upcoming tour in the UK in May?
Cody: Sure! This tour in the UK is gonna be a really great opportunity for me to introduce everyone to my new music and I really encourage everyone to come out and see the show because it’s definitely gonna be a much different experience than the previous notions that people might have in their head and images that others have surrounding music in the past. This is completely me and I’m taking a courageous step towards my musician future. Just bringing the band, and myself we are gonna be chilling, jamming out and performing all new music. It’s music for everyone and it has a message to it and I’m hoping people will come out and be inspired.
Who inspires you the most and why?
Cody: My Dad definitely inspires me the most, he teaches me to be. A better person, for me being a great person is more important than being a great musician and my dad constantly reminds me of that and helps me and taught me how to meditate and a lot of important aspects of life and the qualities you need to get through it in a positive sense and he’s been through a lot and I love learning from him on a personal level.
Out of all the artists you have worked with, who was your favourite?
Cody: On this new album, I’ve just worked with a man named Donovan Frankenreiter, he’s a pro-surfer that lives in Kauai, Hawaii and we’ve been working on an amazing song together for my album and I’ve been a really big fan of his for my whole life since he was signed to Jack Johnson originally and now he’s one of my favourite collaborations on this new project.
What is one thing you cant live with out?
Cody: One thing I cant live without is my family because of the unconditional love they bring. It’s really important to me, they keep my head on my shoulders and keep me sane.
What do you miss the most about Australia?
Cody: I miss the casual lifestyle like the surf and going to the ocean everyday and It really keeps you so happy all the time and I miss seeing all my friends back home, yeah they come and visit me but it’s not the same, you can’t just walk down the beach every morning and go to the local spots that I used to go too. I try and visit when I can but that’s what I miss from home.
What advise would you give to fans that want to start a career like yours?
Cody: Don’t listen to anyone but yourself, trust your inner sprit and trust your inner instinct, if something doesn’t feel right for you then don’t do it. Take everyone’s advice with a grain of salt and apply it accordingly but Practice, Practice and Practice everyday.
When you’re not touring, what do you do in your spare time?
Cody: I love to surf and I love to party with my friends as any 18 year old would! On the contrary I love meditation, it really helps me and I try and do it daily.
How do you overcome stage fright?
Cody: I used to get stage fright and for me it’s so similar to ride a rollercoaster, you’ve just got to push through until the point you get there and then you will just want to do it over and over again. It’s like just push past the point where you get up on stage. For me its about practice and preparation. If you’re too nervous, it’s a sign you didn’t prepare enough. Be confident and prepare and practise you’ll be just confident enough to get in that rollercoaster.
I thanked Cody for taking time out to speak to me and he said he loved my British accent and can’t wait to tour the UK!
CODY SIMPSON LIVE DATES:
Wednesday, 6 May – London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Thursday, 7 May – Birmingham Institute
Friday 8 May – Manchester Ritz
The tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster.co.uk
Follow Cody Simpson on twitter @CodySimpson or visit his website www.codysimpson.com