TORONTO — Dr. Ben, a Toronto-based folk-blues recording artist whose music draws on decades of work as a travelling physician in rural Canada, has released a new single, “Cure Your Blues,” marking a sharper turn into blues-rock intensity while keeping the narrative focus that has defined his early independent catalogue.
The track, released today on major streaming platforms, blends fingerpicking guitar with heavier blues licks and lyrics built around heartbreak and emotional exhaustion. The song also leans into medical imagery, using the language of treatment and recovery to frame a relationship that, in the narrator’s view, becomes transactional and damaging.
Dr. Ben’s real name is Ben Chan, and he has built a following by combining personal storytelling with a professional background that is unusual in Canada’s music scene. Over the past three decades, he has worked as a physician in 97 small communities across the country. That experience has shaped his songwriting, which often touches on themes of healing, resilience, mental health and loss.
With “Cure Your Blues,” Chan delivers what his release describes as an explosive breakup anthem that channels frustration into a more forceful sound. He crafted the song to capture what he describes as “Alanis Morissette-level fury with medical irony and a gluttony for punishment.”
The track’s lyrics frame the narrator as someone used for comfort and then discarded once their role is fulfilled. One of the song’s central lines captures that dynamic: “You use me like a Band-Aid just to help you heal that wound inside / And when you’re feeling better you just peel me off and toss me aside.”
The chorus reinforces the theme with a direct refrain that merges clinical language with emotional damage. “Baby you just wanna use me to cure your blues,” he declares, turning the phrase into a hook that anchors the song’s structure.
Musically, “Cure Your Blues” expands beyond the softer folk-blues approach that has characterized much of Dr. Ben’s recent work. The single leans on lead guitar as the primary emotional driver, with blues-rock riffs and licks carrying the tension of the story. The result is a track that aims to balance classic blues-rock firepower with the intimate delivery of a singer-songwriter.
The recording was completed with producer Douglas Romanow, with the release noting a focus on capturing a classic blues-rock feel while maintaining the close, personal sound that has become part of Dr. Ben’s identity as an artist. The production approach emphasizes clarity and dynamics, allowing the guitar work to act as a second voice in the narrative.
For Chan, the song also reflects the intersection of his two careers. His medical background—serving communities and working with patients dealing with mental health challenges, addictions and chronic illness—has influenced both the subjects he writes about and the way he approaches songwriting.
In addition to performing in venues across Ontario, he has also brought music into hospitals and nursing homes, using downtime to play for patients. That practice, the release suggests, is part of a broader commitment to serving communities through both medicine and music.
Since releasing his first single in 2024, Dr. Ben has gained traction in the independent music space, earning two awards for his music videos and collecting five semi-finalist or finalist nominations in major songwriting contests. While still early in his recording career, those results indicate a growing profile for an artist operating outside traditional industry pathways.
Chan also works as a university professor in healthcare management and is involved in global health advocacy, a professional portfolio that adds to the story behind his music and positions him as a rare crossover figure between Canada’s healthcare and creative sectors.
The release frames “Cure Your Blues” as a milestone for the artist, not only for its heavier sound but also for what it represents in terms of personal reinvention. “It’s never too late in life to pursue your dreams,” Dr. Ben reflects, linking the single to a broader message for people balancing responsibilities with creative ambition.
The pandemic, he has said, provided the time and space to reconnect with music, and that return has developed into a growing body of work. “Cure Your Blues” is positioned as part of that momentum—an example of persistence, and a reminder of the enduring appeal of blues-rock built on strong musicianship and direct storytelling.
The single is available now across major streaming services.
