'American Idol' Season 18: Arthur Gunn plays to his strengths as he sings 'Lovin' Machine' by Wynonie Harris
The talented singer-songwriter Arthur Gunn aka Dibesh Pokharel is definitely going places - just not anytime soon, however, because he's staying at home for the time being. In view of the current coronavirus lockdown restrictions, the singing competition 'American Idol' decided to commit to an unprecedented first in the storied television show's history.
For this Sunday night's (April 27) episode, in a never-before-seen decision, the Top 20 contestants will be performing for live viewers from the comfort of their homes. The host Ryan Seacrest, mentor Bobby Bones, and the judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan all made appearances via satellite feeds, to provide words of encouragement and honest critiques. This is the real litmus test of the show, with the contenders all vying for votes while remaining confined to their basic home setups - there's no more glitz, glamor, and Hollywood showbiz tricks to hide behind. So now it comes down to merely the contestants and their voices, having to entertain the viewing public based on sheer charisma and talent alone.
Arthur surely has both these essential entertainer qualities in spades. The young Nepali singing sensation from Wichita, Kansas, has been blessed with an outrageously good voice - it's raspy and gorgeous, both gritty and velvet smooth, full of texture and flavor like a crunchy chocolate bar. He played to his strengths by singing the classic 'Lovin' Machine' by Wynonie Harris and his performance really raised the bar tonight. It was soulful and soaring, powerful and moving. The judges were really impressed as well and relished his special rendition.
Katy Perry, appropriately dressed in a hilarious hand sanitizer costume for the night, absolutely loved the performance, but she did repeat her earlier request to Arthur, asking him to connect with his audience more by not closing his eyes so much while performing. Lionel said that his modest persona and shy personality could actually work in his favor, considering the audience was expecting a timid performance and not the raw power and explosive vocal chops that Arthur was displaying. Luke was floored by his jaw-droppingly good natural talent as well and effectively pegged him as a superstar waiting to be unleashed on the world. "Once you really start understanding how potentially ginormous of a star you can be, it's gonna be like a wildfire," Luke concluded.
Arthur's fans were certainly eager to see move on into the Top 10 based on the strength of that performance. "Arthur Gunn, contestant most likely to do well in the real music world. Radio singing voice, not generic," said one impressed viewer. Other fans were equally enthralled, saying "Arthur is Top 10 material for sure," and "This is one of my favorite performances of the night tonight, Arthur Gunn is going all the way this year, he is the best!"
You can vote for Arthur Gunn either via text message or the American Idol app and make sure you do that soon, because the voting window closes at 9 am ET on April 27. Make sure you tune in next Sunday night at 8 pm ET on the ABC network to catch the Top 10 home edition show.