Singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben is preparing for the release of his latest LP, ‘Belong,’ on Oct. 10. Ahead of the album’s release, the Montco native is currently on tour in support of its release, and will return home this weekend for a show at City Winery on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Ruben’s latest work features a 10-song tracklist and explores themes of mental health, living with a chronic illness, long-term relationships, and the role of community in a person’s ability to not only survive, but thrive.
Leading up to his headlining performance at City Winery, Ruben discussed with Metro the emotional impact of living with mental health struggles and chronic illness, returning to his roots, and more.
The bulk of Ruben’s album was recorded during the COVID pandemic. Its release was delayed by complications Ruben suffered due to Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that causes chronic symptoms including fatigue, fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain. Ruben has been managing with the illness for over a decade, throughout the isolating COVID shutdown, and is now bringing the conversation around chronic illness and mental health to the foreground as society gradually becomes more aware and open to discussing these issues.
“I think COVID really helped shift the conversation on mental health because so many people were isolated and suffering,” Ruben said. “Having a chronic illness is challenging in a different way. Most people consider illness to be linear—you get sick, you take a test, the test comes back positive, you take medicine, and you get better. That’s very often not what happens in the case of Lyme disease or other chronic conditions.
“With Lyme specifically, on top of the physical and mental symptoms, there is an emotional piece of the medical community and the people in your life, either not believing you or understandably not wanting to hear about it anymore. So some of these are for those people specifically — the ones that need to feel seen and heard and to know that they are not crazy. Because it can be so, so isolating.”
Ruben’s album opens with the idea of isolation, finding inspiration as he and his wife remained within a 10-block radius of their Brooklyn apartment for 18 months during the pandemic. By the end of the track, Ruben’s realization is the importance of community and connection, in the face of illness, isolation, current events, and in truly all aspects of life.
“I wrote this album over a pretty long period of time, so it covers a lot of topics that were important to me at different times in my life. There are love songs that I wrote about my wife before and after we got married. There are songs that are more political as a way to process some of the really challenging and terrifying things happening in the world right now. And then there are the songs written for and about my illness.
“I think with all of those things, what ties them all together is connection, which is a lesson I had to learn for myself. Trying to go through life without other people to lean on and get support from is almost impossible. So I really want to encourage listeners to find their people. The ones that make them feel safe.”
The lessons Ruben has learned over the years, he now brings home as he prepares for his headlining appearance at City Winery. Ruben’s ties to the area and community are deep. Born and raised in Montco, both of his parents hail from Greater Philadelphia, as does his wife.
To Ruben, there’s nothing like a good homecoming.
“I have always loved coming back home to perform,” Ruben said. “It’s like hosting a party, except people from your entire life show up. Friends from high school, extended family members, and of course fans, some of whom have been coming to see me since they were in high school, and now they have their own kids. Plus, when I’m in the car in Philly I only listen to WIP SportsRadio and then I really feel like I’m home.”
To learn more about Jesse Ruben’s upcoming work and to purchase tickets to his show at City Winery, visit jesseruben.com
