Anastasia Newcomer Cody Simpson on the YouTube Video That Rocketed Him to Fame & His Fervent Fans

Cody Simpson recently made his Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre as Dmitry in Anastasia. The Australian native is no stranger to the spotlight: Simpson landed a recording contract at the age of 13 after uploading videos of himself performing on YouTube, and though he's only 21 now, he has has already lived the life of a pop star. With millions of followers on social media, he's toured with Justin Bieber. He's also dated super model Gigi Hadid, who (fun fact) appears in his "Surfboard" music video. But there's more to Simpson than pop stardom. He is the first United Nations Development Programme oceans advocate; he traveled to Costa Rica earlier this year to create a documentary and has even penned op-eds about environmental education. The perfomer spoke to Broadway.com about his work for the U.N., his first time on stage, and the wildest encounter he's had with his insanely devoted fans.

Monkey Business
Simpson wanted to perform from a very young age, and he learned that sometime it takes more talent to get into the spotlight. "My first taste of theater was my middle school play. We did The Jungle Book. I auditioned for Mowgli, which I didn't get," he recalls. "I ended up playing a part as one of the monkeys. I had two lines, and I was always rivals with the kid who ended up getting Mowgli—the drama teacher's nephew."

Joining the "All-Star League"
Though Simpson always admired the lights of Broadway, it took a long time before he considered himself up to the task of eight shows a week. "As a musician and an entertainer, you look at it as the all-star league. To be asked to be a part of it is an honor," Simpson says. "It felt like a lot of pressure at first. Now that I'm here, it's so cool to be a part of it. I've already met so many amazing people. There's not a lot of ego in the Broadway community. Everyone's out to do well."

Just Keep Swimming
Before he won over screaming fans for singing and strumming guitars, Simpson focused on another talent: "I grew up on the Gold Coast of Australia, on the beach, basically. I could swim before I could walk, literally. I grew up surfing and being by the beach every day. I grew up a competitive swimmer. I wanted to go the Olympics," he says, but his fast track to pop stardom interrupted his Olympic dreams. "Both my parents were professional swimmers. I competed internationally quite often, right up until I moved to California to pursue music."

From Hobbyist to Hit Maker
Simpson was one of the first teen singing sensations to be discovered on YouTube. "I remember my first upload was a performance of me and a friend of mine at a school talent show. We performed 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz. I was playing guitar, and she was doing most of the singing. But I made an account and posted it on my page. It started getting a lot of views in Australia; It made the news—they must have thought it was OK. It was a hobby; It was something I never thought would become a major part of my life because I was so focused on competitive swimming. I probably put up 10 or 12 videos, and eventually got some messages from producers and execs in New York."

Keep It Green
Simpson is just as passionate about music as he is about advocating for the environment. "Having grown up by the ocean, people around me were always very conscious of their environmental footprint. As I grew up, I wanted to be as aware as I could of how my daily life affects the planet," he explains. "I was lucky enough to start working with the United Nations Development Program as their first oceans advocate. We did a trip to Costa Rica earlier in the year. We made a small documentary, and I've spoken at the World Oceans Day a couple times now here in New York. It's something that's always been a major passion of mine and only something I'd like to continue making people aware of."

The S.S. Fangirl
True Fanastasias are a dedicated bunch. But from Simpson's wildest fan story, it seems like they've got nothing on Angels/Simpsonizers (as his fans call themselves). "Once, I was in Norway doing a gig," he says. "I was staying at this hotel there, which was on a marina. I have a really good friend that lives out there, and he had a boat. He said, ‘I'm going to come by.’ You can park boats up right beside this hotel. There were a bunch of fans waiting outside the hotel, and he was like, ‘Just run through and jump on the boat, and we'll go out for lunch.’ I ran out and and the fans that were outside the hotel started chasing me towards the boat. I jumped in the boat, and we started speeding off. Now, it's Norway in winter. It was a freezing cold lake. But they started jumping in and swimming after the boat. There were seven or eight of them! We ended up letting them onto the boat and hanging out with them for a little while. It was fun!" 

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Photos by Caitlin McNaney | Makeup by Rachel Estabrook | Video directed and edited by Kyle Gaskell