The Story Behind ‘Gut Punch’ By Nick Jonas

Nick Jonas made his return to solo music with “Gut Punch.”

The latest single debuted on Jan. 1, 2026, via Republic Records. The track will be featured on Nick’s forthcoming album, Sunday Best. This will mark his first solo record in five years. The multi-instrumentalist first performed the song in Las Vegas, during the Jonas Brothers’ 20th Anniversary Tour.

‘Gut Punch’ Songwriters

Nick Jonas, JP Saxe, Bianca “Blush” Atterberry, Ryan Daly, and The Dream (Terius Nash) are credited as songwriters and producers on “Gut Punch.”

‘Gut Punch’ Inspiration

Jonas wrote on his TikTok that this song is for anyone who has been “hard on themselves” and is a “reminder of self-love and acceptance.”

In a press release for his upcoming record, he credited his inspiration to his musical roots. Jonas grew up singing in the church’s choir alongside his family.

“You know, life comes at you and sometimes it gets a little tough,” Jonas said at an intimate Sunday Best Brunch performance. “The way we speak to ourselves… I feel like we could all do a better job of just being nice to ourselves and to each other.”

Nick Jonas told the crowd that he wanted to convey this message for a long time but didn’t know how to say it. That is, until he teamed up with his collaborators, who were able to “give these feelings a voice.”

Jonas recalled that September day when he went into the writers’ room. He told his co-writers that he believed that his hair stopped growing and “spun out” briefly. Jonas noted that his collaborators were “kind and thoughtful enough” to “hear him out.”

“It was actually a metaphor of the fact that maybe my growth was stunted as a person,” Jonas confessed. “We started [writing] this verse. I didn’t know where it would take us. But I think we all got to a place where we felt like we said something that we wanted to share with the world.”

‘Gut Punch’ Meaning

Jonas is asked if there was a lyric on his upcoming record that he was afraid to say out loud. “I hurt my own feelings,” he admitted. The line is from the chorus of the track:

Hit me like a gut punch, I hurt my own feelings
How did I get so good at being mean to myself?
I should turn the heat down, tell myself to chill out
Damn, I really hate the way I talk to myself

The song explores how a person can be too hard on themselves and seek out unattainable perfection. Fans have taken to the lyrics’ message, despite the song not being officially released. Furthermore, thousands of fans shared themselves lip syncing to the song on TikTok while sharing their personal struggles.