Arthur Gunn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arthur Gunn |
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| Birth name | Dibesh Pokharel |
| Born | October 24, 1997 Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Origin | Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
Dibesh Pokharel (born October 24, 1997), known as Arthur Gunn, is a singer and songwriter. He was born in Nepal and now lives in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Arthur became famous in 2020 when he was the runner-up on the eighteenth season of American Idol.
He started singing in 2014. People know his voice for being "textured" and "sandpapery." He released his first album, Grahan, in 2018. In 2019, he released another album called KHOJ. This album included popular songs like "Ma," "Khoj," and "Karnali (The River)."
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Arthur's Early Life
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, Arthur grew up surrounded by music.
His family played records, and he loved to sing along. From a young age, he would mix songs while playing a small guitar his mom gave him. He watched the American version of American Idol online when he was growing up. He also learned English in Nepal. He once said, "I got my first guitar from my mom... That's when the dream [to perform] started."
His family moved to Wichita, Kansas, around 2008 when he was eleven. But Arthur stayed in Nepal to finish school. After graduating high school, he moved to Wichita around 2014 to join his sisters and parents. There, he discovered bluegrass and country music.
He bought a new guitar and made friends with other musicians. He started playing in coffeehouses around Wichita. He also traveled and performed on street corners in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. He even spent a summer performing at the Ocean City, Maryland boardwalk.
Arthur looks up to many famous musicians. Some of his inspirations include Bob Dylan, Ray LaMontagne, and Ben Howard. His friends encouraged him to try out for American Idol. Arthur wanted to be a professional singer, so he saw it as a great chance to learn about the music business.
Arthur's Music Career
First Album: Grahan
Arthur Gunn started recording songs in 2018. Around the same time, he began using his stage name, Arthur Gunn. He was reading the works of Arthur Rimbaud, a famous French poet. He liked the name Arthur and thought it would be a good stage name. He also said the name starts with "art," which he loves. He explained that "Gunn" means "battle."
He started taking his singing seriously in 2013. He worked on making his voice stronger and learned breathing techniques from mentors. His first album, Grahan, was released in early 2018. It has eight songs in the Nepali language, including the love song "Nyano Ghar." The word Grahan means "about day and night, the sun and the moon."
Critics said his Nepali songs mixed sounds from artists like Bob Dylan. They also praised his "sweet and anguished" singing. He toured Nepal to support the album. In 2019, he recorded new songs like "Ma," "Khoj," and "Karnali (The River)." These songs were released in December 2019. By April 2020, his YouTube channel had grown to 230,000 subscribers.
American Idol Journey
In 2019, Arthur Gunn sent in an online audition for American Idol. He was then invited to an in-person audition in Wichita, Kansas, on September 4, 2019. This was for the eighteenth season of the show. He auditioned with "Eddy's Song" by Sticky Fingers. By May 2020, his audition video had been watched over eight million times!
Arthur was shown in a sneak peek for the show in December 2019. The judges were very impressed. Judge Luke Bryan even said, "I think he might be the biggest star we've ever had on American Idol." Arthur was also in an American Idol commercial that played during the Academy Awards. He said he learned a lot about performing and the music industry from the show.
The "Hollywood Week" part of the show was filmed in December 2019. Arthur chose the singer-songwriter music genre for his first performance. He sang "Hard to Handle" by Otis Redding. For the duet round, he sang with Amber Fiedler. He then performed his own version of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival for the solo round.
Arthur made it to the Top Forty contestants. 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 because Arthur had not had any formal music training before the show. Arthur then made it into the Top Twenty. Judge Lionel Richie said it was an easy choice to advance him.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming for American Idol was stopped. The rest of the season was filmed with contestants performing from their homes. Producers sent each contestant special sound and lighting equipment. In May 2020, Arthur became the first Nepali-born contestant to reach the Top Ten on the show. He sang a reggae version of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" for the "songs of home" theme.
For the live finale, Arthur was one of the top five contestants. He performed two songs. For the "celebration songs" round, he sang "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw. For the second round, which was for their possible debut single, he sang "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" again. Arthur and Just Sam were the top two finalists, with Just Sam winning the season. Many Nepali musicians see Arthur as a role model. They hope his success will encourage more people from Nepal to join music competitions.
| Week | Theme | Song(s) | Original artist(s) |
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| Online audition | N/A | • "Eddy's Song" (2011) | • Sticky Fingers off their Happy Endings EP |
| Audition | N/A | • "Girl from the North Country" (1963), • "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (1971) |
• Bob Dylan, • Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| Hollywood week | • Genre challenge, • Duet with Amber Fiedler, • Solo |
• "Hard to Handle" (1968), • "The Chain" (1977), • "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (1971) |
• Otis Redding and The Black Crowes, • Fleetwood Mac, • Creedence Clearwater Revival (Gunn arrangement) |
| Top Forty | Showcase round in Kapolei, Hawaii | • "Is This Love?" (1978) | • Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| Top Twenty | Start of remote shows | • "Lovin' Machine" (1952) | • Wynonie Harris |
| Top Ten: "Homeward Bound" | Songs that remind of home | • "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (1971) | • John Denver |
| Top Seven | Disney music / Mother's Day | • "Kiss the Girl" (1989) from The Little Mermaid • "Hey, Ma" (2019) |
• Samuel Wright in his role as Sebastian • Bon Iver |
| Finale | • Round 1: Celebration songs • Round 2: Debut single if they win |
• "I Don't Want to Be" (2003) • "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (1971) |
• Gavin DeGraw • Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| Finale: Group song | Cynthia Erivo & Idol Top Eleven, medley: • "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967) • "Rock Steady" (1971) • "Chain of Fools" (1967) |
Aretha Franklin | |
| Finale: Group song | Lionel Richie, Idol Top Eleven, Idol judges and alums: • "We Are the World" (1985) |
Various, 45 top pop stars |
After Idol: New Music
In June 2020, Arthur Gunn was one of the singers featured in 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 had 490,000 subscribers. His most popular video, "Nyano Ghar" (House of warmth), released in May 2018, has over six million views. His latest song is "Love is My Redemption."
Arthur's Albums
- 2018: Grahan
- 2020: Jalai Mai
- 2021: Khoj
- 2024: Ojhel
