Cody Simpson out to prove he’s got staying power

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“People definitely have misconceptions about me because of my age,” says 15-year-old singer Cody Simpson, whose brining his new tour to Chicago on Feb. 14. | CHRIS BALDWIN PHOTO

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:22AM

When one teen singing sensation starts hanging out with another teen singing sensation, some would think the discussion would revolve around hits, hairstyles and how loud they can make all the girls scream.

Not necessarily so.

“We are basically living music 24-7, so it’s nice to get our mind off that stuff for a little while, but yes, Justin (Bieber) and I are definitely working on a few things together,” says up-and-coming popster Cody Simpson, who recently signed on with Bieber’s longtime manager and “magicmaker” Scooter Braun. “It’s cool to hang out with people you can relate to. Of course, I’m still early in my career and Justin [Bieber] has been doing it a little longer.”

Similar to Bieber, 15-year-old Simpson’s career was born via today’s magical combination of sheer talent and YouTube. With the creation of his own YouTube channel in August of 2008, Simpson began to acquire quite a fan following with his impressive performances of both originals and covers of Justin Timberlake and Jason Mraz hits. Soon after, a music producer from the United States coaxed Simpson and his family to leave their home in Australia and take a run at a record deal, eventually signing with Atlantic Records.

And granted, while Simpson might have not become a household name yet, his social media stats are staggering. Quickly approaching 2 million Twitter followers and over 110 million YouTube views, Simpson is well on his way to claiming his spot among teen star royalty. And make no mistake — this kid’s ready to put in the hard work. The month of February will be spent solely on the road in support of his “Welcome to Paradise Tour,” including a stop in Chicago on Valentine’s Day at the House of Blues.

“It’s been great to see that we are selling out stops like Boston and New York,” explains Simpson, who last came through Chicago while out on tour with Ellen DeGeneres’ own music prodigy, Greyson Chance.“This run will include lots of clubs and theater, and I just loved the idea of bringing together 1,000 or so of my biggest fans at each stop and basically say ‘thank you.’ I’m excited. I’ll be playing the keyboard and the ukulele for the first time so the fans are definitely in for the unexpected.”

Of course, similar to countless teen sensations that have come before him, Simpson admits that he often has trouble getting the credit he truly deserves.

“People definitely have misconceptions about me because of my age,” says Simpson, whose debut album is slated for a May release. “I think when they are able to come out to the shows and get a listen of my album, they will definitely think differently of me.”

Tricia Despres is a local free-lance writer.