Martin Paul

Martin Paul is a Yup'ik singer-songwriter connected to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, who grew up between the villages of Kipnuk and Kalskag and spent time in Kotzebue. In his early twenties, he is a University of Alaska Fairbanks student majoring in biology with a minor in the Yup'ik language. He performs original songs on guitar and cauyaq (Yup'ik drum), singing in both English and Yugtun, and has built a large following on social media with music and humor about Indigenous life in rural Alaska.

His original songs include 'Village Life' — the first song he wrote, about life between Kalskag and Kipnuk — and 'All My Sunshine.' In 2023 he auditioned for 'American Idol' from Nome and served as an emcee for the Alaska Federation of Natives' Quyana Night. In 2024 he performed at the first KNOM Radio Music Fest in Nome, and in 2026 he appeared at the Cama'i Dance Festival in Bethel. He also teaches Yuraq (Yup'ik dance) at camps in Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages.