19-year-old Alli Simpson has been surrounded by music all her life—whether it was sitting in the backyard jamming with her dad or sitting in the studio during her brother Cody’s sessions. After taking two years away from music professionally, the singer recently returned with a voice all her own. She’s reemerged into the limelight with a stronger sense of self, and it’s clear as she sits across from me. With a tight blonde bun, sleek black turtleneck, and a vicious red lip to match her new female-centric anthem “Material Boy,” it’s obvious she has grown up a lot since her last release in 2015, “Roll ‘Em Up” featuring Jack & Jack.
Simpson openly admits that she was never a super confident songwriter until her newest single, “Material Boy.” “I’m really new to songwriting. I’ve always written in journals and sang so I figured I should try and put them together,” she says. Although hardly new to the music industry, it was slightly nerve racking for Simpson to be the focus. “I’ve been in plenty of rooms when people write music with my brother and a lot of my friends. I knew how the process worked and I had always sat in the back and watched the producer and writer work. It was cool to have it be about me this time,” she explains. Simpson says she went into her writing sessions confident that songwriting was what she wanted to focus on. Despite her nerves, and the feeling that she was walking into a therapy session, Simpson says she knew she wanted to share her story.
“Material Boy” is about a personal experience Simpson was going through at the time. Highlighting the superficiality she noticed in the dating world in Los Angeles, the song expresses a feeling of female empowerment. “It’s about trying to date a guy who treats you more like a possession instead of their other half,” Simpson explains. Simpson adds that she believes she’s not the only person who can relate to this sentiment. “I think a lot of girls my age have felt this way. I wanted to share my side of the story and I hope girls can relate to it.”
Alli Simpson Photo credit: Glenn Nutley
The groovy sounds paired with catchy, anthemic lyrics prove that Simpson has arrived with a new story to tell–hers. In addition to “Material Boy,” Simpson released a stripped down song, “I Won’t Remember You Tomorrow,” featuring her brother singer-songwriter Cody Simpson. The acoustic track shows off Simpson’s ability to capture an audience with a simple yet mesmerizing sound.
The Los Angeles-based artist has also been busy outside of her music, serving as a co-host for the first season of a YouTube series, The ShareSpace, an online music competition, and acting as the host of Z100’s Jingle Ball Village in New York City. Listeners can expect Simpson to continue honing her musical craft and releasing new music throughout the New Year.
Watch the official video for “Material Boy” below.
