Australian pop singer Cody Simpson graced the stage of Dancing with the Stars on its 2-hour premiere episode for season 18.

Other celebrities joining this season are Drew Carey, Amy Purdy, Billy Dee Williams, Sean Avery, NeNe Leakes, Candace Cameron Bure, Meryl Davis, James Maslow, Charlie White, Diana Nyad, and Danica McKellar.

The premiere show had each pair dancing a contemporary routine–the foxtrot or cha cha. Simpson, together with his professional dance partner Witney Carson, danced the cha cha to the tune of Timber by Pitbull. The pair did a great job and garnered praise from the judges.

Bruno: “Fresh, cool, spunky! A lovely individual style.”

Carrie Anne: “You are fantastic on the upper body.”

Len: “Full of confidence, full of attack, full of energy!”

They got a total score of 22 out of 30 points – 7 from Carrie Anne, 7 from Len, and 8 from Bruno.

The dancing show changed its format, and for the first time, viewers will have the power to vote and switch up the dancer-celebrity pairs. Everyone in the competition will be affected with this new rule, as they are required to switch partners at any point in the season.

March 17 was a special day for the 17-year-old pop star, as it is not only the start of his dancing gig, but also the day when his new single entitled Surfboard was released. The new single shies away from his previous works that are standard pop songs. This song might also be a hint of what the pop star’s third album is going to sound like. The new single is a mix of progressive pop with a hint of dubstep, and is the perfect tune for summer.

#SURFBOARD is amazing so proud of you @CodySimpson and how far you’ve come this is gonna be a big one❤️ pic.twitter.com/Tr1siGKdJn

— Jordan (@JordanNicoleoxo) March 18, 2014

Simpson and Carson will be dancing the tango on next week’s Dancing with the Stars.

Image via YouTube