The eighteenth season of ABC's American Idol premiered on 16 January 2020 with Ritchie Lionel, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan in the judging panel. The singing reality show expects to find out many marvelous singers like previous years. Well, it appears that the Idol has already found one star on its premiere.
Arthur Gunn is an aspiring singer from Nepal who has managed to touch the judges' hearts. Responding to his performance, Luke Bryan even had said that 'Arthur might be the biggest star we've ever had on American Idol.'
Find some quick facts about Arthur Gunn below.
(UPDATED)
•Arthur Gunn Is The Runner Up Of American Idol
Arthur Gunn is a rockstar, and he has proved it not once but a couple of times. He has now officially become the runner up of American Idol.
With the keen observation of his performance, Arthur Gunn was elected as a runner up of American Idol.
Arthur, who revived the classic rock and roll music in auditions with the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bob Dylan, has already sung the 1968's hit songs like Hard to Handle by Otis Reddings in Hollywood on 16 March 2020, and John Denver's song Take Me Home, Country Roads on 3 May 2020.
Arthur Gunn performing on 'American Idol' (©: YouTube/American Idol)
Arthur finished the song's first verse with his husky bluesy voice and an acoustic guitar, and it appeared that judges (Lionel Ritchie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan) did not want to get off the mood created by Arthur. So, they wanted more from him. Katy broke the silence first saying:
"More!! Sing more!!"
Lionel Ritchie, who has been a judge on ABC's American Idol for two seasons (2018 and 2019), mentioned that Arthur reminded him of Bob Marley after he saw Arthur's spirit come off the stage.
•Arthur Sang A Song Of Bob Dylan And CCR During Audition
Arthur, aka Dibesh, first attempted the 1963's classic taste music, 'A Girl From North' by Bob Dylan, as he arrived before the judges in auditions. Ritchie Lionel asked if he could try another song, after which Arthur sang 'Have You Ever Seen A Rain' by CCR that left the judges with mouth open.
Arthur Gunn aka Dibesh Pokharel on 'American Idol' (©: YouTube/Talent Recap)
Arthur not only made the judges shocked with his performance but also attained the compliment of "He might be the biggest star we've ever had on American Idol" from Luke Bryan.
Arthur mention John Martyn, Bob Dylan, Bukka White, Sonny Boy Williamson, Nick Drake, and John Lee Hooker as his musical inspirations.
•Arthur Gunn, Who Hails From Nepal, Is Not His Real Name
Arthur Gunn, age 20, is the stage name for Dibesh Pokharel, who is a native Nepalese singer/songwriter. He was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, and later moved to Witchita, Kansas, to seek educational opportunities.
He has two sisters, who were in the United States for years before he moved. Later, his parents followed him in Kansas.
Arthur, aka Dibesh, sang songs most of the time during his childhood in Kathmandu. He was not into the bluegrass and country music before, but he found the genres interesting that pulled him like a magnet.
Interestingly, his keen interest in music led him to audition for the 18th season of the American Idol on 16 February 2020.
•He Has Already Made Some Of His Music
Arthur, a native of Nepal, has already brought his music credits in the industry. To this date, he has released his songs with acoustic rock genres like Hamro Din, Pralaya' A', Pralaya' B,' Samundra Pari, Nyano Ghar, Ma, Karnali, and many others.
He also has a YouTube channel entitled ArthurGunn through which he updates his music. As of now, the channel has garnered over 295K subscribers.
Before coming to the American Idol, Arthur performed at several bars and pubs in Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal.