Cody Simpson - Welcome to Paradise - My Journey

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.