Joe Nichols’ Fun New ‘Say La V’ Is the Ultimate Country Kiss-Off

Joe Nichols has just released a brand-new song titled “Say La V,” and the fun kiss-off anthem may very well be his next big radio hit.

Despite its obvious hit potential, the baritone-voiced traditional country singer tells Taste of Country he didn’t necessarily want to record the song at first listen.

What Is Joe Nichols’ New Song?

Nichols’ new song is a spirited, up-tempo track that features a compelling arrangement, including an instantly memorable horn line that sets it apart from anything else that’s currently at country radio.

The song centers around the old saying, “C’est La Vie,” which translates to, “Such Is Life.”

The writers deliberately spelled it “Say La V” for fun, as well as to attract attention.

Who Wrote Joe Nichols’ New Song, “Say La V”?

Celebrated Nashville songwriter and producer Jason Sellers co-wrote “Say La V” with Brett Warren and Lance Miller. He went into the co-writing session for “Say La V” in March of 2026 with the main idea.

“I had about three of the chorus lines,” Sellers tells Taste of Country, “and I told those guys, ‘Before we get into anything too serious, let’s just have some fun.’

READ MORE: Joe Nichols Once Fought a Record Label to Keep Jesus in a Song

“I think sometimes we try to overthink it, and then realize that people are just wanting to smile,” he adds.

What Is Joe Nichols’ New Song “Say La V” About?

The song describes a breakup from the point of view of a man who has found out about his lover’s “something-something on the side” and decided to end things.

But rather than coming from a place of anger, the lyrics come from a place of edgy humor as the narrator walks away with a shrug, sharing a series of comical ways to say his final goodbyes.

“Say La V, catch you on the flip side / One two three, ready, set, goodbye / Pick whichever one fits ya / Just don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya,” Nichols sings in the light-hearted chorus.

“Bon voyage, adios / I like those but the one I love the most / Is I’ll call you, don’t call me / Say La V.”

Warren and Miller also made significant contributions to the song, Sellers says, and when the demo reached Quartz Hill label head Benny Brown and Nichols himself, both men recognized the song’s hit potential.

Even so, “The first time I listened, it was so different for me that I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if that’s something I can cut!'” Nichols admits with a hearty laugh.

“I texted Jason, and I think the first text I sent was, ‘That’s a hit. I just don’t know if it sounds like me.’

“Of course, over the next 20 minutes I couldn’t get it out of my head. I thought, ‘What am I doing?'” he says with another laugh. “So I said, ‘Disregard that text. Hold that for me! That’s a hit.'”

“Say La V” features multiple hooks, from a singalong chorus to a horn part that’s one of the biggest earworms of 2026.

That horn line was part of the demo, which Sellers says leaned a little more toward pop, citing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” as a reference.

Who Produced Joe Nichols’ New Song “Say La V”?

Nichols tells Taste of Country that part of his role in co-producing the final master track alongside Sellers was to “bring it back a little more country than it started out.”

“The demo was fun, and we stayed close to that fun,” Nichols observes.

“But I wanted to bring it back to, let’s put some steel guitar and ride that up a little bit. And the way I sing it is obviously a lot more country. I think that naturally happens. Me singing on it, I’m going to naturally pull it more into the country lane.”

“Of course, Joe just came in and really put his touch on it and made it really unique to him. I don’t know if anybody would have fit the song more than Joe,” Sellers observes.

“Joe is a very smart, deep thinker, and I thought it was awesome to get him in this fun zone. The whole time we were doing the ‘heys’ and the backgrounds, and recording the horns, me and Joe were both just beaming ear-to-ear. It was just so much fun doing it.”

The completed track is punctuated by laughter from Nichols, which almost serves as a percussive element as well as elevating the mood of the song even more.

Nichols credits Sellers for identifying those times when he was essentially just having a good time and laughing while he was on the mic, and sprinkling those moments throughout the track.

“That type of track, it’s really tough to capture sometimes,” Nichols relates. “I think it takes a touch of magic sometimes. It takes a little bit of relaxing in the studio and singing, and something magic happens. With ‘Say La V,’ I think we captured a little bit of magic in there.”

Sellers and Nichols worked to produce a master recording that had all of the most professional production elements, but without losing the entertaining spark that’s the heart of the song’s appeal.

“I can hear what I’m doing and hitting the notes, but vibe stuff like that, Jason gets the credit for that,” Nichols tells us. “He did a good job of capturing those moments of laughter, and probably something I wasn’t taking very seriously in the moment.”

“I’d listen to a lot of his vocals, and I’d think, ‘Man, here’s a vocal that really feels like he executed it on the mark, but really dug in and tried to find the most emotional, heart-feeling things on the lyrics,'” Sellers states. “I think on this one, Joe just went in there and caught the spirit in the room, and I just tried to capture it.”

Is Joe Nichols Going to Release More New Music Soon?

Sellers and Nichols have been working closely as co-producers on a very personal album that Nichols is recording. It’s a loosely conceptual album along the lines of Willie Nelson‘s Red Headed Stranger, and the songs all weave together to tell the story of Nichols’ life.

“Say La V” is a sharp contrast to the rest of the material, and Sellers says that’s part of its appeal as a single.

“[The album is] kind of introspective, and he’s touching on a lot of parts of his life,” he states.

“And when we got to this fun song, we felt like he had ‘Here’s to the past, they can kiss my glass’ and he had ‘Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.’ There’s nothing more important to Joe’s career than, he’s had some fun songs. I kinda feel like this is ‘Brokenheartsville,’ the new version!

“You can’t really do a Joe record and leave that part of his character on the table,” he adds. “People need to see that part of his character as much as these other storylines.”

Nichols is unabashedly enthused about the possibilities for “Say La V,” which he says could have been a hit for a number of other artists due to its strength.

A major radio hit could change the next year for him considerably, Nichols acknowledges.

“With a hit in my pocket, I think we look at a lot of things differently. We also carry bigger smiles on our faces! A hit feels so good in so many ways. It opens up so many doors. It puts you on people’s minds for duets — vocal events kind of things — and same thing with good touring matches.”

Nichols has already been playing “Say La V” in his live shows, and he’s especially gratified by the strong reaction the song’s been getting.

“Seeing the fans react to this song … you really can’t underestimate the measure of that, the weight of seeing that night to night. Seeing them react to this song is a really good way to measure the opportunity that we have,” he says.

“Now it’s just a matter of pulling all the pieces together at the right time. And it looks like people are really happy about this song. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for.”

Joe Nichols’ “Say La V” is currently available via a wide variety of digital music providers.