Jaspar Lepak

JASPAR LEPAK (pronounced JAS-per LEE-pack) writes feminist folk songs from the heart – poetic, profound and “always evocative” (Mostly Minnesota). Unafraid of speaking out about the issues and politics of our time, her pure voice captures an earnest authenticity that is rare to find. Her original songs blend the timeless appeal of ’60s and ’70s folk-rock with a distinctly contemporary perspective, drawing inspiration from the many places she has called home: Tucson, Durban, Seattle, and Minneapolis. Her new album We Are All Travelers Here is a poignant follow-up to her feminist-themed album So Strong, which landed at #6 on the Folk Radio Chart. 

Originally from Arizona, Jaspar went to St. Paul, MN for college, where she studied classical piano and literature and went on to get an MFA in Creative Writing. A prolific writer, she recorded five albums in five years before moving to Durban, South Africa. While there, she recorded Forgiving Wind (2011), 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 became a member of the Bushwick Book Club – a group of songwriters who write and perform songs inspired by books. She recorded many of the songs she wrote while a member, including tracks that appeared on her radio-charting albums Desert Ghosts (2021) and So Strong (2024) as well as her new album We Are All Travelers Here (2026). 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. Now she is working with public libraries across southeast Minnesota to present programming that combines books and songs.

Jaspar moved back to the Twin Cities in 2021, 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 Minnesota’s top musicians. Many of these artists are featured on her new album We Are All Travelers Here, including violin virtuoso DGS (Chastity Brown), indie/pop singer Zippy Laske, rising Americana star Haley E Rydell and Jaspar’s longtime keyboard player and collaborator Ben Cook-Feltz, who also co-produced the album.

Making a name for herself in the folk community, Jaspar has been a FAR-West Official Showcase Artist and a Folk DJ Showcase Artist at the Northeast and Midwest Folk Alliance Regional Conferences. Her song “Dandelion” was included on The Seasons Project, an 80-song modern folk anthology put together by veteran folk singer and promoter Christine Lavin. 

A tireless advocate for women’s and reproductive rights, Jaspar has written many songs that have been used to educate and celebrate women like “P Is for Placenta” (featured on the Yale School of Medicine’s Reproductive and Placental Research Unit website) and “I Know a Woman'' (played 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 and teaching private music lessons. She gathers daily inspiration from reading and walking around Minneapolis’ lakes and creeks.