Autobiographical Track Is 3-Time
GRAMMY Nominee’s First Self-Penned
Release in Nearly 20 Years 

NASHVILLE, TN (Feb. 20, 2026) – QHMG / Quartz Hill Records’ neo-traditional torchbearer, Joe Nichols, today released “Fighting the Good Fight,” an understated yet powerful song about navigating life’s darkness and light. 

Nichols co-wrote and co-produced the track alongside Jason Sellers and Paul Jenkins, two of the writers behind his Platinum-certified No. 1 smash “Sunny and 75.” The production is organic, unhurried and inviting, and although the lyric is revealingly autobiographical, Nichols’ steadfast vocal finds the universal in the personal, inspiring us all on our own journeys of “Findin’ your way to the light.” 

STREAM / LISTEN TO “Fighting the Good Fight” HERE. 

WATCH the official visualizer HERE. 

“This song is my life story in three minutes,” says Nichols. “It’s about my struggles along the way—some of my own doing, and some because of the way the world is today. I fight the world for my girls, and it’s a good fight. Paul tells us in the Bible to fight the good fight, and that’s kind of what this song is about.”   

Praised by Billboard early in his career as “country music’s finest vocalist in at least a generation,” Nichols is now firmly established as a celebrated interpreter of Nashville’s finest songwriters. But on “Fighting the Good Fight,” his first self-penned release in nearly two decades, we learn more about the man behind the magic voice—from being on the receiving end of his father’s tough love, to taking up guitar, drinking and “Not learnin’ a thing,” to now putting on the armor of God to protect his wife and daughters:  

The devil’s at the bottom 

The devil’s at the top 

The struggle don’t ever stop 

Fightin’ the good fight 

Fightin’ your way through the dark 

Findin’ your way to the light 

Fightin’ the good fight 

“Fighting the Good Fight” is the second teaser track from Nichols’ next studio project, slated for release later this year. The first teaser track, “Goodbyes Are Hard to Listen To,” was lauded by legendary MusicRow critic Robert K Oermann as a “terrific barroom weeper from a master of the form. … Country music with a capital ‘C.’” 

The current resurgence of traditional-leaning country has coincided with Nichols recently receiving a flood of tributes and accolades. Billboard has ranked him in the Top 50 of its Top Country Artists of the 21st Century, while Lainey Wilson has referenced his classic No. 1 “Brokenheartsville” in a new song of her own, and Post Malone has invited him to perform an onstage duet. The RIAA has also recognized the hitmaker for achieving four Platinum-certified singles as well as one double Platinum single—Nichols’ signature song, “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” which celebrates its 21st anniversary in 2026. 

Joe Nichols’ February / March 2026 Tour Dates 

Feb. 20 | Mahnomen, MN | Tickets HERE 

Feb. 27 | St. Louis, MO | Tickets HERE 

Feb. 28 | Cleveland, OH | Tickets HERE 

March 26 | Lawton, OK | Tickets HERE 

For a full list of upcoming shows, visit JoeNichols.com/Tour. 

ABOUT JOE NICHOLS 

Multi-Platinum Quartz Hill Records artist Joe Nichols is one of country music’s most-lauded recording stars. Ranked by Billboard among the Top Country Artists of the 21st Century, Nichols is a modern traditionalist who is both timely and timeless—with over 2.1 BILLION cumulative audio streams and 8 MILLION RIAA-certified units sold in the U.S. alone, a half-dozen No. 1 singles, ten Top 10 hits and a sound that blurs the boundaries between country music’s past and present. It’s an approach that has earned Nichols three GRAMMY nominations, a CMA award, an ACM trophy, an Emmy award and a CMT “Breakthrough Video of the Year” award as well as multiple Gold- and Platinum-certified records.  

Nichols’ additional honors include awards from Billboard and MusicRow Magazine as well as a New York Times “Best Albums of the Year” nod. The celebrated star has appeared on national media programs ranging from ACM Presents: Superstar Duets in CBS primetime to The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The View, Entertainment Tonight and Austin City Limits. He also made his big-screen debut in the feature film Murder at Yellowstone City. 
  

“Fighting the Good Fight,” an understated yet powerful song about navigating life’s darkness and light, is the latest teaser track from Nichols’ next studio project, slated for release in 2026.  

For the latest news, visit JoeNichols.com and follow him at @JoeNichols on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.