Biography
Jesse Ruben, a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and philanthropist, cultivates a relaxed folk-rooted sound paired with uplifting themes. Completing the New York City Marathon sparked his 2012 single “We Can,” which found renewed purpose once a Canadian elementary school adopted it as an anthem, leading him to create the We Can Project as a service-learning effort throughout North America. A Lyme Disease diagnosis soon halted his musical activities. Following an intensive three-year recovery, he resurfaced with the 2015 single “This Is Why I Need You” and, a few years afterward, the introspective Hope EP in 2019.
A Philadelphia native, Ruben launched his recording career with the independent 2007 album Aiming For Honesty. Echoing mid-2000s folk-pop figures such as Jason Mraz and Matt Nathanson, he offered breezy acoustic settings and introspective yet generally optimistic lyrics. A short-lived Sony/BMG deal placed songs on series like One Tree Hill and paired him with live bills featuring Jewel and Ryan Cabrera, yet his 2011 album The Ones That Matter appeared independently once more. After his first New York City Marathon, he wrote the motivational track “We Can,” which opened the 2012 EP Thoughts I’ve Never Had Before, Part 1. Months later a Vancouver teacher who had used the song for inspiration invited him to perform for students, an encounter that quickly multiplied into further bookings and prompted him to found the We Can Project, bringing performances and encouragement to schools across North America. A second EP, Thoughts I’ve Never Had Before, Part 2, arrived later that year while his visibility continued to grow.
Immediately after finishing a sold-out headlining tour, Ruben fell gravely ill. The Lyme Disease diagnosis forced a career pause that challenged his own commitment to positive messaging. Emerging from a three-year struggle, he released the affecting 2015 single “This Is Why I Need You,” drawn directly from his experience. In the years that followed he kept writing, recording, and touring, commenting on division and politics with 2016’s “Scared of America” and the stirring 2019 EP Hope. After the 2020 love song “Future,” he addressed global concerns again with the reflective “Whole World Watches.”
A Philadelphia native, Ruben launched his recording career with the independent 2007 album Aiming For Honesty. Echoing mid-2000s folk-pop figures such as Jason Mraz and Matt Nathanson, he offered breezy acoustic settings and introspective yet generally optimistic lyrics. A short-lived Sony/BMG deal placed songs on series like One Tree Hill and paired him with live bills featuring Jewel and Ryan Cabrera, yet his 2011 album The Ones That Matter appeared independently once more. After his first New York City Marathon, he wrote the motivational track “We Can,” which opened the 2012 EP Thoughts I’ve Never Had Before, Part 1. Months later a Vancouver teacher who had used the song for inspiration invited him to perform for students, an encounter that quickly multiplied into further bookings and prompted him to found the We Can Project, bringing performances and encouragement to schools across North America. A second EP, Thoughts I’ve Never Had Before, Part 2, arrived later that year while his visibility continued to grow.
Immediately after finishing a sold-out headlining tour, Ruben fell gravely ill. The Lyme Disease diagnosis forced a career pause that challenged his own commitment to positive messaging. Emerging from a three-year struggle, he released the affecting 2015 single “This Is Why I Need You,” drawn directly from his experience. In the years that followed he kept writing, recording, and touring, commenting on division and politics with 2016’s “Scared of America” and the stirring 2019 EP Hope. After the 2020 love song “Future,” he addressed global concerns again with the reflective “Whole World Watches.”
Albums
Singles
