Cody Simpson

Australian vocalist Cody Simpson has crafted uplifting songs that progressed across ten years from youthful, rhythm-focused dance pop to introspective, guitar-driven pieces. His early work, reminiscent of Justin Bieber, arrived with the 2010 debut EP 4 U, which introduced him to wider audiences via the charting single "iYiYi." He later distilled his country's coastal energy into the luminous acoustic pop of the Top Ten, gold-certified Surfer's Paradise, followed by 2015's Free and the 2017 EP Wave One, the latter two reflecting the relaxed atmospheres associated with Jack Johnson and Ed Sheeran.

Cody Simpson launched a YouTube channel in 2008 at age eleven, uploading clips of himself performing. Accompanying his own acoustic guitar, the young Australian interpreted material by artists such as Jason Mraz and Justin Timberlake while also featuring his own compositions. A year afterward, producer Shawn Campbell discovered the page and arranged for Simpson to travel to the U.S., initiating songwriting sessions that led to a 2010 contract with Atlantic Records. The debut single "iYiYi," issued that same year, reached Australia's Top 20 with assistance from a Flo Rida cameo. Both versions of the track appeared on the December 2010 EP 4 U. Throughout 2011 Simpson maintained a steady output, issuing the single "On My Mind" in May and mounting a short U.S. tour to promote the Coast to Coast EP, while making frequent appearances on Australian television. His first full-length album, Paradise, arrived in October 2012 after the preceding summer EP Preview to Paradise. The record climbed to number two in Australia and number one in Canada, while reaching number 27 in the U.S.

Surfer's Paradise followed quickly in July 2013, delivering breezy, sunlit material that earned gold certification stateside and peaked at number ten, Simpson's strongest chart showing at that point. His third studio album, the Cisco Adler-produced Free, surfaced in 2015 and emphasized relaxed, reggae-tinged textures while incorporating guest contributions from Donavon Frankenreiter and G. Love.

By 2017 Simpson's focus on acoustic guitar-pop had deepened further. Forming the backing group Cody Simpson & the Tide with drummer Adrian Cota and bassist Shareef "Reef" Addo, he released the unplugged holiday single "White Christmas." The five-track Wave One EP, issued on Entertainment One Music, continued that direction, and he added the standalone singles "Pirates Dream" and "Underwater" in 2018.