Benjamin Lerner, the great-grandson of the iconic American composer Irving Berlin, is a Vermont-based Musician, Composer, Rapper, Writer, Radio Host, Recovery Advocate, and Social Media Content Creator. His work shines a light on the power of resilience and recovery. Benjamin began his creative journey as a classically-trained pianist, winning several regional awards for his mastery of Romantic and Impressionist repertoire. However, his life took a drastic turn in his twenties, when he began to struggle with addiction, becoming an IV heroin and crack cocaine user.

Sober since June 13, 2016, Benjamin now channels his journey of recovery into a unique blend of classical piano and Hip-Hop, creating deeply personal music that reflects his experiences and healing process. Lerner elaborates: “When I first went to rehab, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make music anymore,” Benjamin reflects. “I made music about doing drugs for so long, I didn’t know if I could do it without getting high. But getting clean helped me realize that expression and creativity were the highs I had been searching for all along.”

Lerner’s journey as a recovery advocate began with the release of his debut album, CLEAN, in 2020. Produced by Dr. Joshua Sherman and recorded entirely at Old Mill Road Recording in East Arlington, Vermont, the album marked the launch of the CLEAN campaign, a multi-platform initiative helmed by Lerner and Sherman, aimed at de-stigmatizing substance use disorder (SUD) and promoting hope for recovery.

Through his weekly CLEAN column, published in the Vermont News Guide (since 2020) and syndicated in Seven Days from 2021-2022, Lerner shares his insights and stories from his recovery. In January 2021, he extended his written advocacy work to the radio airwaves, hosting CLEAN Jams on WEQX, a program blending recovery-positive hip-hop with candid interviews about addiction and resilience.

Lerner’s voice has reached audiences at esteemed venues like The Aspen Institute and Carnegie Hall, where he performed as part of the Indie Collaborative. Lerner’s work took on a new dimension in November 2022, when he began posting daily social media reels inspired by CLEAN Columns and CLEAN Jams. These reels, offering intimate glimpses into his recovery journey, have resonated widely, amassing over 150 million views and a following of more than 300,000 people across platforms.

In response to the strong engagement on social media and the heartfelt response to his acoustic, one-take, piano-rap reels, Benjamin felt compelled to expand his music’s accessibility. His latest EP, Keep Moving Forward (released on November 15, 2024), is directly inspired by the CLEAN Column's closing mantra: "Keep moving forward. Run towards the truth. Don’t quit before the miracle happens." The EP is the first in a trilogy of EPs, with each EP—Keep Moving Forward, Run Towards the Truth, and Don’t Quit Before the Miracle Happens—capturing the phases of hope and resilience that continue to define his recovery, his advocacy, and his artistry.

Through Lerner’s CLEAN Campaign, he has created a platform for recovery stories to be shared across Vermont and beyond. From CLEAN Jams and the CLEAN Columns to these new EP releases, Benjamin’s work underscores the message that recovery is always possible—and always worth fighting for.