Arthur Gunn facts for kids

Dibesh Pokharel (born October 24, 1997), known by his stage name Arthur Gunn, is a singer and songwriter. He was born in Nepal and now lives in Wichita, Kansas, USA. He became very well known in 2020. This happened when he was the runner-up on the eighteenth season of the TV singing show American Idol. Arthur Gunn started singing in 2014. People know him for his unique, "sandpapery" voice. He has released several albums, including Grahan and KHOJ.

Growing Up and His Love for Music

Dibesh Pokharel was born on October 24, 1997, in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. His parents are Datram and Maiya. He has four sisters, including Rubi, Rupa, and Supriya. Even though his family wasn't musical, he grew up surrounded by music. His mom gave him small guitars when he was a child. He would sing and play along to songs he heard.

When he was about two years old, he started mixing songs together while playing guitar. He watched the American version of American Idol online as he grew up. He also learned English in Nepal. He said, "I got my first guitar from my mom. Then I started singing along to any song I heard on the radio or TV. That's when the dream [to perform] started."

His family moved to Wichita, Kansas, around 2008 when he was eleven. But he stayed in Nepal to finish school. After graduating high school, he moved to Wichita around 2014. There, he discovered bluegrass and country music. He bought a new guitar and made friends with other musicians. He played in coffeehouses around the city. He also traveled and played music on street corners in cities like Los Angeles and New York.

Arthur Gunn looks up to many famous musicians. Some of his inspirations include Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, and Ray LaMontagne. His musician friends encouraged him to try out for American Idol. He decided it was a good chance to learn more about the music business.

Starting His Music Career

His First Album: Grahan

Arthur Gunn started recording songs in 2018. Around the same time, he began using his stage name. He was reading the work of Arthur Rimbaud, a famous French poet. He thought the name "Arthur" would be a good stage name. He also explained that "Gunn" means "battle." He started taking his singing seriously in 2013. He worked on making his voice stronger and learned breathing techniques.

His first album, Grahan, came out in early 2018. It has eight songs in the Nepali language. One popular song from it is "Nyano Ghar," which means "House of warmth." The album title Grahan means "about day and night, the sun and the moon." Critics praised his "sweet and anguished" voice. He toured in Nepal to support the album. In 2019, he released new songs like "Ma," "Khoj," and "Karnali (The River)." These songs were planned for a new album. By February 2020, his YouTube channel had almost 70,000 subscribers. By April 2020, this number grew to 230,000.

His Journey on American Idol

Auditions and Early Rounds

In 2019, Arthur Gunn sent in an online audition for American Idol. He was then invited to an in-person audition in Wichita, Kansas. This was for the eighteenth season of the show. He auditioned with "Eddy's Song" by Sticky Fingers. The video of his audition has been watched over eight million times.

The judges were very impressed with him. Judge Luke Bryan even said, "I think he might be the biggest star we've ever had on American Idol.'" Arthur Gunn was featured in commercials for the show. He said he was "amazed" by the experience. He learned a lot about performing and the music industry.

During Hollywood Week, Arthur Gunn chose to sing in the singer-songwriter style. He performed "Hard to Handle" by Otis Redding. For the duet round, he sang "The Chain" with Amber Fiedler. He then performed his own version of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. He made it to the Top Forty.

He then performed for a live audience in Kapolei, Hawaii. His parents and sisters were there to watch him. His sisters said they were very proud. They mentioned he hadn't had any formal training until the show. He sang "Is This Love?" by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Judge Lionel Richie said it was an easy choice to move him to the Top Twenty.

Performing from Home

The show had to stop filming in the studio because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the rest of the season was filmed from the contestants' homes. The producers sent each contestant special sound and lighting equipment. This allowed them to film their performances from home.

In May 2020, Arthur Gunn became the first Nepali-born contestant to reach the Top Ten on the show. For the "Homeward Bound" theme, he sang a reggae version of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads". The judges often praised his voice as "the most unique." Arthur Gunn explained that he has a "husky tone" to his voice.

The Grand Finale

For the live finale, Arthur Gunn was one of the top five contestants. He performed two songs. For the first round, he sang Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be". For the second round, he sang "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" again. Arthur Gunn and Just Sam were the top two finalists. Just Sam was announced as the winner. Many Nepali musicians see Arthur Gunn as a role model. They hope his success will encourage more people from Nepal to join singing competitions.

After American Idol

After American Idol, Arthur Gunn continued his music career. In June 2020, he was a featured singer for an online arts event. This event was hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu. In July 2020, he released a seven-song album called Self-Titled.

As of June 2022, his YouTube channel has 490,000 subscribers. His most popular video is "Nyano Ghar," released in May 2018. It has over six million views. His latest song is "Love is My Redemption."

His Music Albums

• 2018: Grahan
• 2020: Jalai Mai
• 2021: Khoj
• 2024: Ojhel