Inez Jasper (née Point), also known as Inez, (born May 19, 1981) is a Canadian musician, whose music blends

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and traditional

First Nations music Indigenous music of Canada encompasses a wide variety of musical genres created by Aboriginal Canadians. Before European settlers came to what is now Canada, the region was occupied by many First Nations, including the West Coast Salish and Ha ...

. She is most noted as a two-time nominee for the

Juno Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year The Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album by an Indigenous Canadian artist or band. It was formerly known as Best Music of Aborigina ...

, in 2010 for her album ''Singsoulgirl'' and in 2014 for her album '' Burn Me Down''.

Biography

Inez Jasper was born and raised in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( ) is a city of about 100,000 people and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the gr ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. She is of Sto:lo,

Ojibway The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

and

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

heritage. She is the daughter of Mark Point, a former

Skowkale First Nation The Skowkale First Nation or Skowkale Band () is a band government of the Sto:lo people located in the Upper Fraser Valley region, near Sardis, part of Chilliwack, British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories ...

chief, and the niece of

Steven Point Steven Lewis Point, (''Xwelíqwetel'') (born July 28, 1951) is a Canadian academic administrator, criminal lawyer, and jurist. He was the chancellor of the University of British Columbia from 2020 to 2024. He served as the 28th Lieutenant Gover ...

, a former

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representative of the monarch in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in the p ...

. She was educated as a registered nurse, and works as a community health nurse for Stó:lō Nation Health Services. She has two children, and in 2010 her husband Otis Jasper served as the chief of Soowahlie First Nation. She released her debut single "Sto:lo Strong" in 2005, before releasing the full-length album ''SingSoulGirl'' in January 2009. She toured extensively to support the album, and won awards at both the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards and the

Western Canadian Music Awards The ''Western Canadian Music Awards'' (WCMAs) is an annual awards event for music in the western portion of Canada. The awards are provided by the Western Canada Music Alliance, which consists of six member music industry organizations from Brit ...

. At the APCMAs, "Breathe" won Single of the Year, ''SingSoulGirl'' won Pop Album of the Year, and Jasper won Best New Artist. She subsequently released two non-album singles, "Make U Mine" in 2011 and "Dancin' on the Run" in 2013, before releasing her second album '' Burn Me Down'' in August 2013. The album again won the award for Pop Album of the Year at the APCMAs, and was again a Juno Award nominee for Aboriginal Album of the Year. Jasper was also named Best Producer/Engineer at the APCMAs in 2014. She was named a National Aboriginal Role Model by the

National Aboriginal Health Organization The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) (, ) was an Aboriginal-designed and -controlled not-for-profit body in Canada that worked to influence and advance the health and well-being of Aboriginal Peoples. The organization's funding was ...

in 2008.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Guest appearances

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jasper, Inez 1981 births Living people 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian women singers 21st-century First Nations musicians 21st-century First Nations women Canadian women pop singers Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian pop singers Musicians from British Columbia People from Chilliwack Sto:lo people First Nations women singers