Cody Simpson Belts Out Australia’s National Anthem at Melbourne Cup 2022
Cody Simpson just might be Australia’s renaissance man. The 25-year-old Queenslander has enjoyed a pop career (with five appearances on the Billboard 200 chart), pivoted into the ranks of elite swimming, and he’s thrown what energies he has left into an eco-clothing business.
On Tuesday (Nov. 1), Simpson brought his love of music and sport together when he performed the national anthem at the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse.
Wearing a pin-striped three-piece suit, Simpson delivered a mature rendition of “Advance Australia Fair,” with a packed crowd of 80,000 race-fans watching on.
He’s no stranger to performing the anthem for the big occasion. On Australia Day 2016, he delivered it during the Cleveland Cavs’ home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the first time “Advance Australia Fair” had rung out prior to an NBA contest.
Speaking ahead of the so-called “race that stops the nation,” Simpson admitted he hasn’t considered hanging up the guitar and mic.
“Music’s still a massive part of my life and I train full time, but everybody needs something to help balance them out, and music for me is just that,” News.com.au quotes Simpson as saying.
“I still play guitar pretty much every single day to relax, and I certainly will be jumping around back to music once I’m done with the pool.”
A butterfly specialist, Simpson collected Commonwealth Games gold earlier in the year, as part of the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, along with silver in the 4x100m medley. His efforts earned him selection to Australia’s squad for the 2022 Duel in the Pool against the U.S.
In August, the Gold Coast native unveiled Prince Neptune: The Label, and its range of eco-wear, from tees to hoodies, shirts, bandanas and more — all stamped with the freshwater god’s trident.
Simpson also found time in April to release a fourth album, via Coast House Collective, a self-titled studio set containing singles “Nice to Meet You” and “Let Go” as well as the Ben Harper collaboration “It’s a Dream.”
In 2019, he won the inaugural Australian edition of The Masked Singer.
Lars Brandle
Billboard
