When the Algorithm Actually Gets It Right

Every once in a while, social media surprises you.

A couple of weeks ago, I was doing what I should not have been doing… avoiding responsibilities by mindlessly scrolling videos. You know how it goes. “I’ll just watch one.” Forty-five minutes later, you’re still scrolling.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that, a video popped up from Jared Benjamin.

The song was inspired by a certain Rebecca Yarros book. Naturally, that caught my attention.

I watched it. Then another one came up. Then another.

Before I knew it, I was searching his profile instead of letting the algorithm decide what to show me next. That’s when I realized I had found something special.

One of my favorite things about Jared Benjamin is that he’s not just a musician…

He’s a reader.

You can hear it in his lyrics. You can see it in the inspiration behind his songs. He understands creative storytelling, emotion, and the way books stay with us long after we’ve finished reading them. As both a reader and a writer, that immediately made me connect with his music even more.

One song in particular completely took over my playlist: Beauty in the Hurting.

If you’ve followed my writing journey, you know I’ve been deep in editing Self Inflicted. Editing that book has been an emotional roller coaster, and somehow Beauty in the Hurting became the soundtrack to the entire process.

I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I listened to it.

Every time I hit a difficult chapter or an emotional scene, that song found its way back onto repeat. It somehow captured everything I wanted Self Inflicted to feel like—hope, pain, resilience, and the reminder that healing isn’t a straight line.

Fast forward to today. Well… technically about eight hours ago.

Jared Benjamin released his very first full-length album.

And I am absolutely obsessed. The lyrics are meaningful. Every song tells a story (or every scar according to his lyrics). His videos are incredibly well done. You can tell how much thought and heart goes into everything he creates.

As someone who writes stories for a living, I appreciate artists who care about storytelling just as much as the music itself.

This album isn’t just a collection of songs. It’s an experience.

So thank you, random social media algorithm. You actually got one recommendation right.

Now, if you’ll excuse me…

I’m going to listen to the album again.

Probably several more times.