Byron Nicholai

Byron Nicholai is a Yup'ik musician from Toksook Bay, on Nelson Island in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. In 2014 he began posting videos of himself singing in Yup'ik (Yugtun) on a Facebook page he called 'I Sing, You Dance,' where one clip drew more than 150,000 views. He writes and performs his own songs on drum and voice, blending traditional Yup'ik singing with contemporary styles, and has said he focuses on singing in Yugtun as a way to keep the language alive.

In 2015 he released his debut album, 'I Am Yup'ik' (Wiinga Yupiugua), named after his signature song. That year he traveled to Washington, D.C., to sing and drum for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at a reception marking the United States' chairmanship of the Arctic Council. His music and story were the subject of the 2016 ESPN documentary short 'I Am Yup'ik,' which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

He followed with the EPs 'Still Here' (2019) and 'Assirtua (I'm Good)' (2020) and his second album, 'Ayagnera,' in 2022. He has performed at events including the Cama-i Dance Festival, the Alaska Federation of Natives convention, and Áak'w Rock.