Visit Jackson Releases 'City With Soul' Song, Video

Visit Jackson, the destination leadership organization for Jackson, Miss., has debuted a new song and music video.

“City With Soul (My City),” written and recorded by singer and songwriter Teneia Sanders (featuring hip hop artist 5th Child), features a fun mix of Jackson sites, The Sonic Boom of the South and a message of civic pride that showcases the city’s people at its core.

“We were seeking a way to create a memorable hook to help visitors embrace our new destination branding, City With Soul,” said Visit Jackson Vice President of Marketing Jonathan Pettus. “So, we commissioned the Greater Jackson Arts Council to help us discover Teneia, an artist who understands the power of music and she wrote a great song that embodies our soulful spirit.”

The song, recorded at the legendary Malaco Studios in Jackson and features a special guest appearance by rapper 5th Child, was set to video by filmmaker Bryson Hatfield and produced by Taiwo Gaynor.

While the song is intended to reach visitors, locals will find pride in its message as well.

“In 2017, Visit Jackson wrapped a local branding and city-pride campaign into a song by AJC and the Envelope Pushers, ‘My City,’ Pettus explained. ‘City with Soul,’ then, is the follow-up… the counterpart that continues the message.”

“City With Soul” will also be featured as the soundtrack to the new Visit Jackson-produced podcast, Soul Sessions (releasing this week) and as part of other video projects and online social media and marketing.

Lyrical branding isn’t new, but it is a trend that is becoming more prevalent. At a recent tourism-focused conference in San Francisco, Visit Jackson learned that a song can be more memorable to tie people to your destination than any other form of communication.

Listen to Mississippi Public Radio’s November 8, 2019 episode (“City With Soul”) of Next Stop Mississippi.