For Carter Benjamin, “Take Your Sweet Time” isn’t just a song title; it’s a mantra. One that’s guided every setback, pivot, and breakthrough along the way.
Benjamin grew up immersed in music, whether in church pews or on car rides with his “music head” dad, blasting everything from Christian hardcore metal to Christian hip-hop and punk. When YouTube began expanding access to artists across genres, Benjamin’s world widened with it, revealing just how limitless music could be.
He entered college intent on earning a degree in music, but after struggling through three years, he pivoted to organizational leadership. The decision felt less like a strategy and more like a surrender. Defeated, he moved back in with his grandmother, unsure of what came next. Then, a seemingly ordinary trip to the store for a loaf of bread became an inflection point, a quiet but defining reminder that there’s power in breaking the mold rather than forcing yourself to fit inside one.
After a lifetime passion for music and a revived belief in himself, taking his sweet time finally paid off. On his third application to the Salt Lick Incubator, he was selected by an esteemed panel of Grammy-winning artists, earning a spot on the roster and access to grants, mentorship, and a creative community poised to help propel him forward.
On the latest episode of The Juice Box Sessions, Benjamin opened up about being part of the Salt Lick Incubator, the creative process behind “Take Your Sweet Time,” and his advice for other independent artists.
Excerpt from the podcast (This interview has been edited for clarity)
JUICE BOX PRESS: You recently dropped the single “Take Your Sweet Time.” Where did the inspiration for that song come from?
CARTER BENJAMIN: I think it’s a two-part question because the visual is much more intricate compared to the song. The song is about love, romance, sex, and sensuality, but visually, the music video gives people a deeper look at what was going on beneath that tension. A lot of this next project is about tension, romance, and sensuality. It gives you a strong example of figuring out what’s authentic—what feelings are real and what feelings are just passing.
As I was living my life through 2024, I wrote that song one day in the studio, just reflecting. I grew up in a lineage of pastors—Christian, Protestant fundamentalists—and my family was very strict. It was a very strict household in terms of purity: no alcohol, no smoking, no cussing. So in a way, everything I do now feels kind of “bad.”
JUICE BOX PRESS: Defying everything.
CARTER BENJAMIN: Yeah, no tattoos, like literally everything. And then I was kind of like, all right, well, I see all of these things, but certain things I didn’t think were bad. And I was like, how do you figure out in life these things and this tension of what I wanna keep and what I don’t wanna keep? It’s like, it’s not true for me. And so that tension is what the whole project is, but it’s dressed in sensuality. And it’s dressed in this funness and stuff. The next music video we film — we’re actually filming next week for the new single coming out on the [February] 20th — is gonna show that same sort of tension, but the lyrics and the song is like 80s hot sexy Black people.
JUICE BOX PRESS: Love it!
Listen and watch to the full podcast here.
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
When she’s not taking photos from the photo pit, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press feature, Amelia can be found thrifting and exploring the world of sustainable fashion.