Wichita’s Arthur Gunn makes ‘American Idol’s’ Top 7. Can he win it all next week?
“American Idol” didn’t make Wichita wait long this week to find out whether local singer Arthur Gunn would advance to the next round of the ABC singing competition.
He was the first of 11 finalists named to the Top 7 on Sunday night’s episode, again broadcast from the contestants’ homes across the country.
That means that, if he gets enough audience votes, Gunn will be in the running to win the whole thing on next Sunday’s finale. Voting is open from now until 8 a.m. Monday.
Those who want to vote for Gunn can text 16 to 21523 or go to www.americanidol.com. People also can vote through the “American Idol” app.
Sunday was “Disney” night on the show, and the finalists who made the cut each sang a song from a “Disney” movie. Gunn, this time performing indoors, sang his own version of the sing “Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid.”
Wearing his red beanie and a floral-print shirt, he strummed his guitar while he performed the song, and the celebrity judges were again impressed.
“It’s so fun watching you transition from this very soft spoken, quiet guy to this truly potentially massive recording artist, and I cannot wait to hear you make a record,” judge Luke Bryan said after the performance.
Gunn, whose birth name is Dibesh Pokharel, is a Nepal native who moved with his parents to Wichita so his sisters could attend school. He performed in coffee shops in Wichita before taking his shot on “American Idol.”
“I can’t believe it,” Gunn said, after learning he’d advanced. “I want to thank all the people that voted for me. This is far beyond any wildest dream.”
After each finalist performed on Sunday’s episode, the Top 7 each was invited to dedicate a song to his or her mother or mother figure and perform that song.
In a moving introduction to the song, Gunn talked about his mother, Maiya, who bought him his first guitar as a child.
He read Maiya a letter he had written thanking her for all she had done for him. Then, he sang a cover of “Hey Ma” by Bon Iver as she looked on.
“It’s amazing to see her reactions to me being on ‘American Idol,’” Gunn told the camera. “She’s bursting out in joy and she’s all smiles.”
Next week’s finale is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 17 on ABC, Channel 10.
This story was originally published May 10, 2020 at 8:36 PM.
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