Cody Simpson
A teen pop sensation from Australia who traded the stage for the pool lane, chasing an Olympic dream with disciplined grit.
Born 1997 (age 29)·Australian singer and swimmer·Birthday: January 11·Generation Z
Biography
Cody Simpson qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the Australian Championships, completing a return to competitive swimming after a decade as a pop star. The Queenslander first built a massive online following in the early 2010s with sunny acoustic pop. He toured with Justin Bieber, released albums, and performed on Broadway in 'Anastasia.' Beneath the pop exterior, a childhood passion for swimming had never fully died. In 2019, he announced he would train for the Australian Olympic team. He moved to the United States and joined the program of coach Bob Bowman, enduring brutal dawn-to-dusk training regimens. The swimmer's disciplined reinvention proved that ambition can have more than one lane.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Cody was born in 1997, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cody Was Born
The biggest hits of 1997
#1 Movie
Titanic
Best Picture
Titanic
#1 TV Show
ER
Cody's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1997Born
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2002Started school
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2010Became a teenager
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Could drive
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2015Could vote
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2018Turned 21
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 29 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games as part of Australia's swimming team, winning a gold medal in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay.
- Released multiple studio albums, with his debut 'Paradise' reaching the top ten in Australia.
- Won the first season of 'The Masked Singer Australia' in 2019 disguised as the 'Robot.'
- Starred as Dmitry in the Broadway production of 'Anastasia' from 2018 to 2019.
Did You Know?
He taught himself to play guitar by watching YouTube videos.
His sister, Alli Simpson, is also a singer and social media personality.
He was awarded a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport for swimming as a teenager.
He is an advocate for ocean conservation.
“I'm just trying to be the best version of myself, whether that's in the pool or out.”
