Benjamin Carter
When people ask me what kind of music I am looking for, I always give them a simple answer: I like pop, r&b, alternative etc…. But the truth is, it’s not really about the genre but the authenticity, the ability to tell honest stories and the skills to create interesting melodies and productions. The truth is that I am looking for true Artists. Benjamin Carter has all these qualities. His new single “Lost Control” is phenomenal. It is empowering. It is anthemic. Benjamin Carter is inspiring and this interview inspired me.
Thank you so much for the chat.
Go stream “Lost Control” now :)
Photo credit: Abraham Azab
Introduce yourself - what's the story of Benjamin Carter the artist?
I wrote my first rap song in the 3rd grade in after school care about being Spider-Man. I was living in the Cayman Islands where my mom's side of the family is from and my dad was a choir director, pastor, and band teacher at the time. I swore up and down I was the next Lil Romeo. When I think about my musical influences and journey, I like to consider myself a Child of the internet, or more specifically a first generation "Child of Youtube". Right before moving to Washington DC when I was in the 7th grade I remember spending every waking minute watching anime videos of Naruto fight scenes which were soundtracked and exposed me to rock bands I had never heard of before like Three Days Grace and Linkin Park. Over the years following, I would find myself watching and making cover videos on Youtube and showcasing original songs of new genres I was just experiencing from folk, to rock, to singer-songwriter, to rnb and even gospel music. By the time I was in college I failed out of music school and eventually switched to a business major leaving college fully giving up on my dreams of putting out my own music. It wasn't until 2018 that I finally decided to put out a cover of Leon Bridges single "River" along with one original song - "Hills" just for fun that It sparked within me the passion to give this artist thing a try for real.
"Lost Control" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind the song?
Lost control is a call for help to put it bluntly. It's masked sonically with breakbeats and a floaty chorus - at first glance it feels like its a summer song or a rager. But lyrically I pour out my entire heart and I'm probably at my most vulnerable self. The way I handle emotions can be sometimes unhealthy. I like to mask it with laughs and jokes, without allowing anyone to truly see that I'm hurt behind the jokes but inside there can be a lot of pain, disappointment and fear. This song I believe captures the entirety of this feeling as it bounces between the two.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? When did you start working on it?
I began writing this song with Simon Oscroft last year in September. It was our first session together actually. I had just begun writing for Black Boys on the Radio and only had a couple songs written at the time. Simon and I got to talking about both growing up playing soccer and how much the songs on Fifa growing up were big inspirations to us. We looked at each other and asked 'What would be a song that we could make that would fit on the soundtrack of Fifa" and Lost Control flowed out.
What made you want to release "Lost Control" as a single?
It’s a lot of fun to sing in the car at the top of your lungs and on stage? Nah but for real, I love this song and what we were able to capture sonically and lyrically it’s so much fun and I hope to grab the hearts and ears of many who may be feeling lost and asking the same questions I was at the time.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The artwork is the physical manifestation of the inner feeling I was dealing with in the lyrical content. The song melodicaly definitely doesn’t showcase dark and crazed but the lyrics do at a basic internal level and I wanted to showcase that.
What do you want people to feel when listening to your music?
That in asking the questions to God, life itself, their friends, parents - whatever those BIG QUESTIONS might be - that they aren't alone in asking and FEELING that same way.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Contrary to popular opinion...I love the music industry today. It doesn’t pay a lot through streaming, but opportunity and freedom is another source of abundance and wealth. Without streaming services I wouldn't be a global artist with kids in Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, France, DM'ing me telling me how much they love my music. It’s a very unique time for music. If I could change anything, it would be gatekeeping. There's a lot of that in the industry - gatekeeping contacts, knowledge, ideas, etc. I find that when you find yourself making real strides in this thing it comes from someone else being kind or humble enough to take the time to give advice, feedback, encouragement or connecting you with someone else. Each one teach one, each one reach one.
Why do you make music? What keeps you motivated?
I heard this quote once from a close friend of mine which was that "the most powerful words you can say to somebody else is 'me too'. I think that’s all I hope to do in my music and in my life. It’s show first and foremost my wife and daughter, then my parents and sister, then my friends then fans and the world - you're not alone. Here's one other person who's asking the same questions in the same tone of voice, with the same ideas, who might look like you - I just want to inspire others to dream, to try hard, to pray and trust God, the universe whatever they wanna say - that they aren't alone and we can get through this thing together and have fun while doing it.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
Soccer, fitness, and investing probably in that order. I don't get to play soccer nearly as much but I'm already putting a ball at my daughter’s feet and having her watch games on weekends because I love the game so much. I'm very passionate about financial literacy specifically in the form of various different investment strategies that I wasn't taught growing up - but that people are doing all over the world to gain massive amounts of wealth - and subsequently some are using that to change the world. I find that super interesting.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Each one teach one, each one reach one. We dont all have the same backgrounds, beliefs, or talents and skills, but if we each were driven passionately to just fight as hard as we can to make sure that at least ONE person's life was lived not feeling alone or that no one gets them and that they had the opportunity through a strong friendship to make it to their goals I can't imagine how we'd not be able to better the world.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
When it comes to people..their feelings are valid. Most problems could be solved with us empathetically helping to validate someone’s feelings. Too often people think they can't validate how someone else feels because then it would validate their reactions, or behavior which doesn’t have to be the case. To put in a metaphor: We can validate someone hurt their hand by putting it on the stove by first bandaging the wound. It is only AFTER the wound is bandaged that we look them in the eyes and say "hey, next time dont play around by the stove you can get hurt.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Everybody wants to dream, not everyone wants to try. But it’s when we try that we begin to discover the beauty of this magnificent dance with life. Dream, try, pray, repeat - there's exponential results waiting in the trying.
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