Meet Jesse Ruben. The Philly born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter first made waves with his inspirational anthem “We Can.” The triumphant tune enabled him to travel to schools across North America with “The We Can Project,” a program designed to help children believe they can achieve anything they put their minds to.
Unfortunately, not long after the project took flight, Ruben fell ill, and was later diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Despite the debilitating illness taking an immense toll on his day-to-day life and creativity, Ruben bounced back after two years on the sidelines. The first thing he penned? The emotive track “This Is Why I Need You,” for his longtime girlfriend.
“She was still here, this incredible person, even though there were times I begged her to go. And in that moment, I was so grateful for her, and for the first time in so long, I picked up my guitar, and wrote that song,” Ruben tells Billboard. “‘This Is Why I Need You’ is about a lot of things. It’s about how big and scary the world can be. It’s about growing up and it’s about gratitude, and the people who help you get through the stuff that feels impossible. But for me it is more than that – it’s a reminder that I’m still a songwriter.”
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Today, Ruben shares the lyric video for the stunning track exclusively via Billboard.
The tune — produced by Kyle Patrick and mixed by Grammy winner Will Hensley — precedes Ruben’s comeback EP A Reply To Violence, out this spring, as well as a sweeping tour through Germany this month.
Of the video, Ruben shares, “We wanted to document the stuff that I missed out on for those two years; walking around the neighborhood, spending time with people that are important to me, exploring the city, and working in the studio. New York City has played such a huge part of my life these last couple of years, it was important to really capture that. We decided to make it a lyric video because we wanted to highlight that aspect of the song. Hopefully people hear and read those words and it helps them remember that everything is going to be okay, and reminds them that people in their lives who will help them get through their darkest moments.”
Jesse Ruben 2016 Tour Dates:
March 11 – Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany – Stages
March 12 – Lindlar, Germany – Hotel Artgenossen
March 13 – Hamburg, Germany – St. Pauli Kirche
March 14 – Bremen, Germany – Flastaff
March 15 – Bremen, Germany – Hafen Casino
March 16 – Hamburg, Germany – Parallelwelt
March 17 – Bremen, Germany – Heldenbar
March 18 – Leer, Germany – Zollhaus Leer
March 19 – Harsefeld, Germany – Kino
March 22 – Syke, Germany – Kreismuseum Syke
March 23 – Bremen, Germany – Zum Fass
March 24 – Kühlungsborn, Germany – Tillmann Hahns Gasthaus
March 26 – Harsefeld, Germnay – Kino
March 28 – Oldenburg, Germany – Litfaß Oldenburg
March 29 – Bremen, Germany – Immanuel Gemeinde
March 31 – Ritterhude, Germany – Hamme Forum
April 1 – Bremen, Germany – Schwarzer Hermann
April 3 – Bremen, Germany – Club Moments