A Q&A With the Spring Breakup Grand Prize Promotion Winner, Chace Saunders

Chace Saunders is American Songwriter’s Spring Breakup grand prize promotion winner for his song, “She Left Memphis.”

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Saunders told American Songwriter that he penned the tune when he was “sitting on my bed one night in a particularly cerebral/sad-boy mood.” The song came together quickly and “just flowed out.”

“It kind of started out as an old timey country song and grew from there. When I recorded it in my home studio, I gave it some more emotion in the instrumentation,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be a song I kept working on—let alone release as a single—but people really seemed to enjoy it when I showed it to them.”

The track, Saunders said, “is a song about regret, and messing up in a big way.”

“It’s somewhat of a story song about a guy living a life of self-gratification. Drinking all the time and carrying on in a complacent lifestyle has led this person to become broken, and his relationship falls apart because of it,” he said. “Even while lamenting about the past and wishing he could win her back, he still turns to his unhealthy coping mechanisms.”

Read on to learn more about Saunders.

Chace Saunders Q&A

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SONGWRITING? WHAT GOT YOU INTO MUSIC IN THE FIRST PLACE?

From the moment I was born, songwriting has been a part of my life. My dad wrote a song for me that day and played it at the hospital for everyone. Throughout my childhood, I was surrounded by Appalachian and gospel music. My great-grandmother wrote lots of songs during her life. A lot of people in my family play an instrument or sing, so I’ve been surrounded by music my whole life. Writing songs is definitely a family tradition and I’ve always tried to carry that on.

WHY DID YOU ENTER AMERICAN SONGWRITER’S SPRING BREAKUP PROMOTION? 

I knew this was a great opportunity to get my music out there and potentially in front of people who can help me in my career. I’ve seen posts to submit for American Songwriter in the past and when I saw you were looking for a breakup song, I thought, “I’ve got just the song!”

WHAT DOES WINNING THE CONTEST MEAN TO YOU?

I have never won an award for my music in my life. I was kind of in shock when I found out and didn’t believe it at first. As songwriters, I feel like we can be super critical of our own work and I am certainly no exception. To win something like this is reassuring and really motivating. It put a fire under me and made me want to write even more! I’m grateful that my music moved someone else, and that it will now be featured in such an awesome community.

WHAT SONGWRITERS AND ARTISTS DO YOU COUNT AS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS?

As a kid, Frank Ocean got me into singing, writing songs, and producing. My great-grandmother, Margaret Venable, also passed on a love for songwriting to me from a very young age. Later in life, artists like James Taylor, Tyler Childers, and John Prine shaped the way I write music. Their lyrics have all moved me in different ways. Each of them has a new way of saying something that’s been said a thousand times. They make simple things seem eloquent. They romanticize the small details of life and put it into music. Their lyrics and arrangements are both complex and palatable at the same time, which is something I’ve always appreciated in music.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS IN 2026. 

Write, write, write. Then record and release it all. Last year I was working under the gun trying to put music out rapidly while I was on tour as an opener. This year, there’s still going to be a lot of shows, but I really want to focus on refining my writing and putting together a project that represents me well. Be ready for a lot of new music in the near future.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CAREER DREAM?

I’ve always wanted to perform at a festival. I love going to them and it’s always been a dream of mine to play Railbird— a festival in my home state of Kentucky—in particular. Of course, I’m already living my dream, which is to make a living from performing my music everyday, so there’s that!

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL OTHER ARTISTS WHO ARE CONSIDERING ENTERING THE CONTEST?

Do it because you never know! I honestly believed it was a long shot for me, but you’ve gotta put yourself out there and take every opportunity that comes to you. I just proved to myself that it’s worth it. You can do the same thing. 

Photo by David Rearic at DR Productions