Dibesh Pokharel (born October 24, 1997), known by his stage name Arthur Gunn, is a Nepalese-born American singer-songwriter from Wichita, Kansas, who came to national attention in 2020 as the runner-up finalist on the eighteenth season of the singing reality show American Idol. He started singing in 2014, and is known for his "textured, sandpapery" vocals. He released his eight-song debut album, Grahan, in early 2018. He released another album, KHOJ, in 2019 with singles including "Ma," "Khoj" and "Karnali (The River)."
Early life and education
Dibesh Pokharel (Dibesh means light) was born October 24, 1997, in Kathmandu—the metropolis capital of around 2.5 million people in the country of Nepal—to parents Datram and Maiya. His family, including four sisters—including Rubi, Rupa, and Supriya—were not musical, although he was exposed to music at an early age and grew up with it in his life; they noted as a child he sang and played small guitars his mother gave him. His family would play records and music and he wanted to do that as well. From the age of two he would blend songs together while playing the guitar. His first experiences with American Idol was watching the U.S. version online while growing up, he also learned English in Nepal. "I got my first guitar from my mom and then I started singing along to any song I could hear on the radio, TVs, you know. That's when the dream [to perform] started." His family emigrated to Wichita, Kansas, around 2008 when he was eleven but he remained and finished school. Later he would sing in pubs and coffee houses, but mainly for gatherings of friends; he eventually recorded some songs. He started taking his singing seriously in 2012/2013.
He immigrated to Wichita, Kansas around 2014 after graduating high school, and following his sisters who were in school in the U.S., and then was joined by his parents; there he was introduced to bluegrass and country music. He bought a new guitar and befriended musicians and played the city's coffeehouses. He traveled and busked on street corners in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and a summer at the Ocean City, Maryland boardwalk. He cites as inspirations and influences: John Martyn, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Bukka White, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Jimmy Page, Joe Cocker, Mississippi John Hurt, John Lee Hooker, Ray LaMontagne and Ben Howard. His musician friends urged him to audition for American Idol, and Gunn knew he wanted to be a professional singer-songwriter, and decided it was a good opportunity to learn more about the industry.
Career
Early career: Grahan
Gunn first recorded songs in 2018 and around the same time started using his stage name. He was reading Arthur Rimbaud's—an influential French poet from the 1800s—work, "His words were so modern and I thought his name Arthur would be a good stage name. A lot of people know me as Dibesh but Arthur is easier to use as a stage name." The name was chosen somewhat randomly but it starts with art, he said: "I am fascinated with art in every form and outcomes it can create." He also explained, "Hur is a biblical name, which means 'Hole', nothing religious, though. Meanwhile, 'Gunn' symbolizes battle". When he started to seriously sing in 2013 he worked on shaping his voice, and then had mentors who taught him breathing techniques, and then enhancing his vocals. The Voice of Sikkim noted Gunn is one of the latest talented singers from the Nepal area including Prashant Tamang, winner of the third season of Indian Idol; Prakriti Deuja, the first Nepalese American to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a National Basketball Association game in 2014; Nisha Rasaily, and Passang Doma Lama.
His debut, Grahan, is an eight-song Nepali language album including the love song "Nyano Ghar", released in early 2018. Grahan means "about day and night, the sun and the moon". According to Heavy, "his Nepali songs have infused the sounds of artists such as Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, and Bukka White". He toured in Nepal to support the album, and recorded new songs in 2019, including "Ma", "Khoj", and "Karnali (The River)", which he released in December; all of which to be a part of a new album. In February 2020, his YouTube channel had nearly 70,000 subscribers, that rose to 230,000.