Jaspar Lepak

JASPAR LEPAK (pronounced JAS-per LEE-pack) writes feminist folk songs from the heart – poetic, profound and “always evocative” (Mostly Minnesota). Drawing comparisons to Kate Wolf and Nanci Griffith, her pure voice rings out above the pack, creating classic-sounding folk songs inspired by the many places she has called home (Tucson, Durban, Seattle, and currently Minneapolis). Her new album So Strong is a powerful follow-up to her breakout album Desert Ghosts, whose lead single “Ever Gonna Fly” landed at #9 on the Folk Radio Chart.

Originally from Arizona, Jaspar went to St. Paul for college, where she studied classical piano and literature. It was not until she graduated that she took up the guitar and started writing songs. An English major with an MFA in Creative Writing, she was always interested in stories, and the guitar gave her a new avenue for telling hers. A prolific writer, she recorded five albums in five years before moving to Durban, South Africa with her husband Kale. Her music found an enthusiastic audience, and in 2011, she recorded Forgiving Wind, which Rolling Stone South Africa hailed as an album full of "beauty and original charm.” Jaspar moved back to the States in 2012, settling in Seattle where she released Wide World in 2014 and Close to Me in 2017 – just a few months after her daughter Adelaide was born.

While in Seattle, Jaspar was a member of the Bushwick Book Club of Seattle – a group of songwriters who write and perform songs inspired by books. She has recorded several of the songs she wrote while a member, including tracks that appeared on her radio-charting album Desert Ghosts (2021) and her new album So Strong (2024). Jaspar has also been commissioned to write songs for New York Times best-selling novelist JoAnn Ross, who saw Jaspar perform at the Olympia Farmers Market and inspired her to make one of her heroines a songwriter. Jaspar’s song “One Brave Life” was written for Ross’ book The Inheritance and was released as a single in 2021.

Following the release of her album Desert Ghosts in 2021, she and her family moved back to Minneapolis where she has been forging deep connections with the Twin Cities arts community, serving on the Minneapolis Arts Commission and performing with a variety of local musicians, most often as a duo with keyboard player and singer Ben Cook-Feltz. She has been a frequent guest on the Island of Discarded Women Live Show + Podcast which is hosted by former Prairie Home Companion cast member Sue Scott and mixes humorous and engaging storytelling, social commentary, original music and enlightening conversation with women artists, activists, writers and comedians.

Making a name for herself in the folk community, Jaspar has been a FAR-West Official Showcase Artist, a Folk DJ Showcase Artist at the Northeast and Midwest Folk Alliance Regional Conferences and has showcased at the Folk Alliance International Conference several times. Her song “Dandelion” was recently included on The Seasons Project, an 80-song modern folk anthology put together by veteran folk singer and promoter Christine Lavin. Her songs “I Am Human (Live)” and "My Own Moves" were featured as Songs of the Day on The Current, and her song “I Know a Woman'' was featured on the syndicated public radio show Democracy Now on a segment celebrating the life of LGBTQ+ rights activist Edith Windsor.

A working artist, Jaspar combines parenting with performing, teaching music and leading programs for assisted living and memory care. She gathers inspiration from reading and walking around Minneapolis’ lakes and creeks.