Mindy Stevenson Wins 2026 NSAI-Memphis Chapter Songwriting Challenge with “Memphis Bound”!!
(Submitted by Yolanda Harper, NSAI-Memphis Chapter Co-coordinator)
On Monday, May 25, Mindy Stevenson took top honors in the NSAI-Memphis Chapter Songwriting Challenge with her song, “Memphis Bound.” The win highlights a song that blends vivid storytelling with a strong sense of motion, freedom, and emotional release.
Built around a journey away from what no longer serves her, the song carries the feel of a personal departure and a creative reset. With its road-song energy, blues-soaked destination imagery, and clear emotional stakes, “Memphis Bound” stands out as a writer’s song that balances specificity with universal appeal.
Her lyrics present a narrative rooted in escape, reinvention, and the tension between leaving and becoming. Its language paints a restless, defiant character moving toward Memphis as both a literal destination and a symbolic one, making the song especially compelling for writers who value lyric-driven storytelling.
The inclusion of the line, "I’ll always be from New York…" in the Outro signals both departure and belonging...“Memphis bound,” but she is not erasing her past. The move is not a rejection, or denial, of where she came from; she is heading toward a new chapter, but she still carries her origin with her.
GREAT WORK, MINDY!!
