Morgan Wade will release her highly-anticipated debut album Reckless on March 19. We sat down with her to learn about the record and how she got started in music.
Early Years
Morgan Wade began playing guitar when she received one as a gift from her grandmother at twelve years old. At an even younger age, she’d listen to bluegrass with her grandfather and he encouraged her to take fiddle lessons. When she enrolled, to Wade’s dismay, the program taught classical violin. She felt incredibly relieved when she eventually switched to guitar lessons and took just enough to begin writing her own songs.
Although she started writing at a young age, Wade didn’t begin performing until she was nineteen years old. She hesitated, knowing that performing in front of a crowd can be an extremely vulnerable thing. You’re putting yourself out there- your words, your voice.
Wade eventually took the stage, as an attempt to win back a guy she was dating at the time. Her broken heart fueled the first step in her career. She said, “It obviously worked out, but I wanted to win this guy back and I got up there and played a song about him and it worked. And then it all went from there.”
She proved that sometimes all you need is a leap of faith and a bit of courage to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone.
Morgan Wade’s “Not Okay” Brand
You may have seen Wade’s “Not Okay” beanie, which refers to her brand that she conceived after a conversation between her mother and sister ignited an idea. Her mother sat next to the eldest of her younger siblings at church one day and discovered she had drawn tattoos all over her arms with an ink pen. Her mother asked why “not okay” was scrawled on her arm and she responded that she knew her mother would disapprove.
The concept of “not okay” sparked something for Wade; its various meanings came together and just made sense. Sometimes we’re told it’s not okay to feel a certain way and Wade wants people to know that “it’s okay to not feel okay.” Sometimes, we just need to embrace our emotions and work through them.
Other times, we see things in the world that aren’t okay and we’re inspired to speak out. “It’s been a brand that’s a good conversation starter,” she said.
The Making of Reckless
For her debut album Reckless, Wade worked with producer Sadler Vaden and engineer Paul Ebersold. It’s her first big project working with producers on crafting an overall album strategy for how the songs fit together and the order in which they will appear. She described the experience as very positive, as she never felt pressured or strained throughout the journey. Wade developed a closeness with everyone involved and they encouraged her to become a stronger writer. She said, “I kinda miss it a little bit, I’m ready for record number two.”
She described the sound as a bit of everything. Wade considers herself more Americana, but classifying her music is something she’s struggled with because it’s a blend. “It’s such a big umbrella,” she said. “This record to me, it’s a little bit of pop, a little bit of rock, it’s country. It’s hard for me to put it in a pocket.”
“Wilder Days”
Of all of the tracks on the new album, Wade and Vaden spent the most time on “Wilder Days,” making sure it was exactly how they envisioned it. It’s a song that most of us can relate to. She explained, “I think we all have someone that we meet in our life that it might be the wrong person at the wrong time. If I would have met you years ago, this really would have worked.”
The lyrics remained unchanged throughout the time they were working on the song, but they needed the beat to match their vision.
“Don’t Cry”
“Don’t Cry” was the first song Wade wrote to an instrumental track. After Ebersold created it and played it for her, she asked him to put it on a loop so that she could continue to write. “That was a different experience for me,” she said. “That was something I had never done before.” Wade liked the process so much that she decided to write most of her new songs this way.
Track listing
- Wilder Days (Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden)
- Matches and Metaphors (Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden)
- Other Side (Morgan Wade)
- Don’t Cry (Morgan Wade, Paul Ebersold)
- Mend (Morgan Wade, Paul Ebersold)
- Last Cigarette (Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden, Paul Ebersold)
- Take Me Away (Morgan Wade)
- Reckless (Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden)
- Northern Air (Morgan Wade, Sadler Vaden)
- Met You (Morgan Wade)
In addition to the release of Reckless on March 19, she will also host an album release show at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville on March 18. For more information on Morgan Wade, visit https://www.morganwademusic.com/.