On the very first episode of the 18th season of American Idol, a reality-based singing show, Nepali singer Dibesh Pokharel, who goes by his stage name Arthur Gunn, gave a standout performance, winning the hearts of the judges as well as the audience.

Pokharel, who originally hails from Kathmandu, sang legendary Bob Dylan’s ‘Girl from the North Country’ and ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival impressing the three judges—Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan—who awarded him a golden ticket commending his rock style like voice.

“You are a rockstar,” said Perry, after listening to his performance. All of the judges were blown away by his singing talent and unanimously agreed that he shows great promise in the competition.

Pokharel, 21, an aspiring musician shifted to Wichita, Kansas, in the US, five years ago. He has been producing and singing Nepali songs for his YouTube channel creating his own niche audience since, with one of his songs ‘Nyano Ghar’ receiving more than 600k views on YouTube.

After the season premiere of the singing contest, his audition clip has gone viral on social media, with many complimenting his raw, deep voice. In his introductory video, Pokharel said that music has always been his passion and after shifting to America he has found interest in bluegrass and country music genre.

Pokharel, who gave the audition in Detroit, Michigan, will be moving to Hollywood for the next round, where he will be competing with other contestants.