Cody Simpson: I Became Famous at 13… I Had No Idea What It Would Cost

We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson

FlightStory

Relationships, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2026

⏱️ 104 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From teen pop star to elite swimmer, Cody Simpson opens up about fame, identity and what happens when success comes too early.Known for hits like Pretty Brown Eyes, Paradise and iYiYi, Cody reveals how YouTube covers led to a record deal, worldwide fame and life inside the teenage pop machine. He reflects on being discovered online during the rise of Justin Bieber, moving to Los Angeles at 13 and navigating the pressure of fame before he was old enough to understand the cost. Cody speaks candidly about the years that nearly derailed him, from rebellion, partying and substance abuse to experiencing psychosis and hitting rock bottom. He explains why leaving music and returning to elite swimming ultimately saved his life and how that decision led to representing Australia and winning medals. We also explore the relationships and moments that shaped his journey, from dating Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Emma McKeon and Miley Cyrus to the brutal discipline required to rebuild his life after fame. Now returning to music with a new record deal and a completely different mindset, Cody shares what he’s learned about fame, identity, discipline and why the most important chapter of his life may still be ahead.Cody Simpson, We Need To Talk This conversation includes discussion of addiction and mental health. We've included support charities below: MIND: https://g2ul0.app.link/gbuRaxjM3Nb Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): https://g2ul0.app.link/npaQKXUV4Wb (00:00) Intro (01:35) Cody Describes Growing Up on the Gold Coast, Australia (07:36) Cody’s First Experiences with Playing Music and Writing Songs (14:15) How Cody Was Discovered and Signed a Record Deal (22:28) Cody’s Early Experiences of Songwriting in LA (27:04) Paul Surprises Cody With a Photograph (27:32) What Was Life Like Back in Australia Once Cody Found Fame? (29:51) Why Does Cody Think He Was So Popular So Quickly? (31:28) How Scooter Braun Marketed Cody Compared to Justin Bieber (34:59) ‘Tween Mags’ and Cody’s Markers of Success (37:11) Cody Listens Back to a Couple of His Old Songs (42:54) Snapchat Ad (44:03) Shopify Ad (45:11) Cody Breaks Down His Romantic Relationships with Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Miley Cyrus (55:50) Cody Breaks Down His Relationship with Olympic Swimmer Emma McKeon (58:55) Cody Reflects on the Negative Effects of Fame at an Early Age (01:10:17) Paul Surprises Cody With a Letter From Someone He Loves (01:16:06) Cody’s Transition from Music to Swimming Professionally (01:24:41) Moving Back to Australia and Training for the Paris Olympics (01:31:45) Cody Reveals Plans for His New Music (01:40:31) Paul’s Takeaways Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/needtotalk https://www.tiktok.com/@weneedtotalkpod Follow Cody here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codysimpson TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@codysimpson Sponsored by: Snapchat: Learn more at https://thekeysuk.snapchat.com Shopify: www.shopify.co.uk/needtotalk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Kylie Jenner, Miley Cyrus Gigi, Emma McKeehan.
0:03.4	Can we touch on your relationships?
0:05.4	I've never broke it down like this before.
0:07.2	I might as well, though.
0:11.2	I'd ask my mom to film me in my bedroom doing covers.
0:17.6	And then a music producer messages on MySpace,
0:20.5	and he's like, I want to fly you over to the US. And so I'm like, oh my god, I signed a record deal. I don't think any of us knew how intense it would be. But they took a cut of anything to do with you like this. And I think at the time we just didn't know any different. Was there an emancipation attempt to so you could work longer? Yeah, really. And I don't talk about this much, but oh my gosh. I'm going to Japan, Europe, Scandinavia, and there's thousands of girls at the airport. Having this amount of admiration. It's not something that you're really supposed to experience. That's when things started to slip for me.
0:55.0	I was partying a lot.
0:56.0	I think I got to the point where I started to get really paranoid
0:59.0	and was having psychoses.
1:00.0	I remember showing up at my parents' house
1:03.0	and, please, Cody, have a surprise for you?
1:05.0	What have I got myself into it?
1:09.0	Oh, hey there.
1:10.0	Before we begin, I just want to say, if you enjoy this conversation, be sure to like it. Be sure to comment about what you appreciated. And be sure to subscribe. It helps us to bring more guests that you want to see. Thank you. Cody Simpson, we need to talk.
1:40.0	Thank you so much for being here.
1:41.2	Paul, thank you so much for having me.
1:42.7	This is going to be, I can already tell, this can be a great conversation. Yes, me too. Me too. I have watched several of your interviews, and I think we may go down a track that you haven't gone down. Fantastic. In your other interviews. That's why I'm here. Yeah. All right, cool. Cool.
2:01.6	Thank you.
2:02.6	All right.
2:03.6	Can we start with Australia?
2:04.6	Yes.
	...

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