American Idol Season 18 Episode 1: Meet Dibesh Pokharel aka Arthur Gunn, the Nepalese rockstar from Kansas
The 18th Season of the new American Idol reboot just started this Sunday night (Making it Season 3 on the ABC network), and already there are a host of new names and familiar old faces to be excited by. Our beloved judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are back, while Ryan Seacrest and Bobby Bones have returned in their shoes as show host and fulltime mentor respectively.
One of the standout performances from the first episode, which showcased numerous auditions from talented vocalists, belonged to Dibesh Pokharel, who goes by the stage name, Arthur Gunn, a name he has been performing under for the past few years.
Originally born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Dibesh has made Wichita, Kansas his home for the last five years, and has been following the American Dream ever since. His hard work and dedication to his songwriting craft are clearly evident. Dibesh said ever since moving to the United States, he had been swept away by bluegrass and country music, and these genres played a big role in his musical evolution as Arthur Gunn.
His audition was amazing from the get-go - he chose to sing Bob Dylan's 'Girl From The North Country'. Featuring nimble finger-picking dexterity on the guitar, Dibesh wasn't overawed by the occasion and let rip on the song, showcasing his amazing, gritty, rockstar-ready vocals. Katy Perry even punned on his name, saying that he was "De Best" and all three judges said they loved his textured, sandpapery voice.
While the judges were clearly impressed - they wanted to iron out a small detail that they had noticed about his performance. They noted that Dibesh was getting so lost in his singing that he wasn't looking at them, choosing instead to lean back and flutter his eyes in a disconcerting way while singing, risking his all-important connection with an audience who might be put-off by his lack of engagement with them.
Once that minor wrinkle was sorted out (he was asked to establish more eye contact while singing), Dibesh aka Arthur Gunn was asked to sing another song to showcase his phenomenal voice. He then sang another rock classic, 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and his raspy, bluesy voice brought a smile to the face of the judges, who knew they were witnessing the making of a genuine rock star on American Idol.
Unsurprisingly, Arthur Gunn earned himself a golden ticket to Hollywood on the basis of that strong performance.
Lionel Richie even came over to embrace him after his two songs, and the judges were unanimous in their praise, confident that Dibesh would go far in the singing competition. We certainly hope so too! We can't wait to see what songs Dibesh will perform in the Hollywood portion of the competition, considering he already has quite a few originals under his Arthur Gunn moniker.
Stay tuned for more awesomeness from this young lad with the powerful whiskey-and-cigarettes voice!
