From the cheerful bubblegum-pop of his debut single “iYiYi” to the mellow, beach-rock of 2013 LP Surfers Paradise, Cody Simpson‘s sound has already evolved beyond recognition. That’s probably par for the course when you arrive on the scene as a fresh-faced 13-year-old, but the Aussie star’s sonic transformation has been quicker and bolder than most. The teenager is about to take the next step in his career by embracing a largely acoustic singer/songwriter sound on his third album.

Cody has spent the past few months chipping away at the LP in Malibu with Cisco Adler. “The way I’m going about the new stuff is the way people would go about a rock album,” he explains. “I’m writing everything with the same songwriter and producer — then I get together with my band and record it live. That’s the way I’ve always wanted to do it but never had the capacity or the tools.” Is there still room for a little pop? “No pop for me,” the 17-year-old laughs. “Pop’s dead in my mind.” More »