3-Time GRAMMY Nominee Is Touring  
with Hank Williams Jr. in May and June 

‘High Notes’ Is Latest Teaser Track from  
Nichols’ Next Studio Project 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 1, 2026) – QHMG / Quartz Hill Records’ neo-traditional torchbearer, Joe Nichols, today released “High Notes,” a Hank-flavored honky-tonk party tune about having a good time for the first time since getting your heart broken.

Spurred on by smile-inducing pedal steel and electric guitar, the song’s narrator is happily singing along with a bar band, digging the party crowd and Tryna find a queen to share this double shot of crown.   

STREAM / LISTEN TO “High Notes” HERE.  

WATCH the official visualizer HERE.  

“I wanted to write a country song—the way country used to sound in the ’90s—that people could go out and two-step or line dance to,” says Nichols. “Playing this song live is a joy because it brings joy to people who remember that style of country, and I love seeing them out there dancing to it.” 

Nichols co-produced “High Notes” with Jason Sellers and penned the song alongside Jaron Boyer (writer of five No. 1 country hits from Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere on a Beach” to George Birge’s “Mind on You”) and Matt Gorman. The classic-country lyric features multiple nods to the legendary Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., and the song even shares its title with Junior’s 1982 album, High Notes. Nichols’ joy in singing the good-time chorus of “High Notes” is clear and contagious:  

I’m hittin the high notes  
I’m king of this party crowd  
I’m lightin up the neon smoke  
Tryna find a queen to share this double shot of crown  
Play me some “Dinosaur” 
Let’s get loud  
Oh, I’m hittin the high notes  
And burnin it down 

A highlight of Nichols’ 2026 tour calendar is a series of shows with Hank Williams Jr., including in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 30 and Tampa, Florida, on June 5. Nichols will also play the 47th Annual Hank Williams Festival in Georgiana, Alabama, on June 6. For additional upcoming tour dates, visit joenichols.com/tour.   

“High Notes” is the third teaser track from Nichols’ next studio project. The two previously released teaser tracks are “Fighting the Good Fight,” an understated yet powerful song about navigating life’s darkness and light, and “Goodbyes Are Hard to Listen To,” an old-school-country barroom bawler that MusicRow has lauded as “Country music with a capital ‘C.’” 

“Fighting the Good Fight” and “High Notes” are Nichols’ first self-penned releases in nearly two decades. Praised by Billboard early in his career as “country music’s finest vocalist in at least a generation” and more recently as “one of country music’s most steadfast neo-traditional torchbearers,” Nichols is firmly established as a celebrated interpreter of Nashville’s best songwriters. But as he began work on his forthcoming studio project, the three-time GRAMMY nominee was determined to record not only his favorite outside songs, but also self-penned tracks that share more of his own story and enable him to reconnect with music on a deeper level. 

As Nichols recently told Taste of Country, “I think it’s a more vulnerable spot to be in for me, having more skin in the game. … It truly is something where I just want to make a mark.” 

The current resurgence of traditional-leaning country has coincided with Nichols receiving a flood of tributes and accolades over the past two years. 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. 

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 2.3 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. 

“High Notes,” a honky-tonk party tune about having a good time for the first time since getting your heart broken, is the latest teaser track from Nichols’ next studio project.  

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