On Cody Simpson's debut album, Paradise, which was released Tuesday, the young Australian pop singer makes us long for summer. With a laid-back, feel-good vibe, Simpson easily translates his surfer style into a polished and strong first effort.
MTV News caught up with Simpson, who is currently in Los Angeles onJustin Bieber's Believe Tour, and he told us what it feels like to finally release Paradise, which he has dreamt about since being discovered on YouTube back in 2009.
On the day of release, Paradise is holding steady at the top of the iTunes Pop Albums chart, which may not come as a surprise to Simpson's fans, but it's a surreal moment for the singer.
"I just saw that on my iTunes, and it's insane to have a first album, the first morning of it coming out, it's insane," Simpson said. "I wouldn't be here at all without my fans, and the fact that I'm only 15 years old, it feels amazing."
Reactions about the album have been pouring in from Simpson's fans all over the world, and he was able to respond to some of those messages since he was able to get the day off — not from music, but from school.
"I got out of school this morning, luckily, I got out of homeschooling. My tutor was like, 'Why don't you just have today off?' " Simpson said. "So I've been reading the tweets all morning, and they couldn't be happier that it's finally out."
Simpson, who revealed that his debut effort was inspired by his Australian lifestyle, hopes fans understand what he represents when they listen to his music.
"I worked hard on giving my fans and giving the world a big piece of myself through the music," Simpson said. "I obviously wanted an element of an awesome pop sound. I have a couple dance tracks on there, but I also wanted to incorporate a lot of myself and I wanted it to be unique."
Simpson recently released the interactive YouTube movie "Finding Cody," which allows his fans to get up close and personal with the singer. Simpson is also putting his fans to the ultimate test, giving them the opportunity to choose his next single between the title track and "Be the One."
"It's one of those two," Simpson said of the follow-up single to "Wish U Were Here." "I don't want to say which one it is yet, but right now, I'm pretty focused on 'Wish U Were Here,' but it's definitely one of those two. Honestly, I'd like to give my fans the decision, ask them which song they like the best and see what their reaction is. If it's 'Be the One,' cool. If it's 'Paradise,' cool."
What do you think of Cody Simpson's debut album? Let us know in the comments!
