Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin is a rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The band was formed in 1999 by lead vocalist Ben Burnley and former drummer Jeremy Hummel.

The band was initially called Plan 9, a nod to the 1959 film *Plan 9 from Outer Space*. They were often mistakenly referred to as Planet 9, prompting them to change their name to Breaking Benjamin (which was the name of Ben’s previous band). The name came from an incident in which Ben accidentally dropped the mic, and the sound technician shouted:

“Thanks to Benjamin for breaking my fucking mic!”

In 2004, their second album *We Are Not Alone* was released. They collaborated with Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan on the songs “Rain,” “Forget It,” and “Follow.” The album reached #20 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum.

In 2005, they released another platinum album, *Phobia*. The lead single “Diary of Jane” peaked at #2 on the Billboard Mainstream