CODY SIMPSON Welcome To Paradise: My Journey 100% official

Chapter 1 - GOLD COAST BEGINNINGS

THE MAKING OF ME

Where we come from can have a huge impact on who we are. It sure did for me. I was born January 11, 1997, in paradise. Actually, where I was born just feels like paradise: the Gold Coast, an ocean-side city on the southeast edge of Queensland, Australia. I grew up in a surfing culture and that laud-back mentality runs deep in my blood. Even though I've lived in Los Angeles for over three years, I still see my Gold Coast attitude coming through me in nearly everything I do.

My hometown is closer to Tokyo and Bangkok than it is to Los Angeles, New York, or London. The are exploded in the 1980's as a hot destination for surfers, and just before I was born it became the second most populated area in Queensland, after Brisbane. It remains a major tourist spot; we've got a great subtropical climate, theme parks, nightlife, and a rain forest - so naturally people love it. It's rarely below 50°, even in winter.

While I was growing up, Dad worked as a stockbroker and later owed his own investment company. Mum stayed home to look after us kids. After me, there's my sister, Alli, born just 15 months later. Mum certainly had her hands full with us! She said it was like raising twins, because we were so close together in age. We tended to share everything and even had the same friend as we grew up. I would also look out for Alli, always making sure she was okay. She is my little sister, after all.

And then Tom came along seven years after me. I remember how how excited Alli and I were the day he was born. We went straight to the hospital after school to see him. It was pretty cool for Alli and me to have another sibling, another Simpson.

Mum is amazing, so nurturing, and always there, caring for us. We had a nice, comfortable house in a cool

beach-side community called Mermaid Waters where, when I was old enough, I could grab my mates and hit the surf whenever I wanted.

My life was always very

family-oriented and u really like that. Mum's side of the family lived nearby on the Gold Coast, and Dad's family lived an hour or do north, in Brisbane. We're extremely close - as a family can be.

I saw my my grandparents and cousins almost weekend, and we had regular family dinners. We celebrated holidays and birthdays all together, taking turns at different houses. Both my grandmas, ally aunts, my mum would make dishes and bring them all 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. Its meringue underneath, with sweet foam, cream, and fruit in top. Its like heaven! She always makes it on my birthday and on holidays. That dessert and grandma's homemade chocolate delights are things I reaaly look forward to when u go home for a visit.

We're in opposite seasons to the states if Europe, which means 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 tongs - all day long. We would - all day long. We would be in the pool or at the beach, then dry off and eat, them get back in immediately. And we tend to serve cold dishes, because it is just to hot for anything else. So we'd have seafood, such as grilled shrimp, and salads and cold ham rather than traditional turkey with all the trimmings. Another of my favorite dishes at Christmas is Great Nanna's famous Western Sumoan Chop Suey recipe. Poppa was born in Sumoa and we have this dish at all our family gatherings to keep the tradition alive.

One Christmas, when I was years old I dot 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, fixed 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, and 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 was 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 don't know at what yet." Nanna said she got goosebumps 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 decisions 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 arguments and, like many brothers and sisters we've fought over trivial things, especially when we were young. But we never let out go too far. We end up feeling bad for each other and it always end 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 nonstop. I'd have a song in my head and just sing it around the house, over and over again. She'd be doing her math 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 of the bat. I'm naturally q 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 wed 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 shows, clapping and going on like we were the greatest. We liked to film ourselves and watch it over and over again. We loved it! Wed 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 Basildon are the best friend 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 preform 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 tried my best in math and science. I was generally we behaved in school and somewhat quiet. And I was a perfectionist from and early age. When it came toy schoolwork, when it got to looking to messy or when my handwriting wasn't 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 was always remember wanting things to be done perfectly.