Is Morgan Wade alt-country’s ultimate rock ‘n’ roller?
With an electric live stage presence and a full workup of tattoos, Wade can look tough as nails on first impression. Her most well-known songs draw from grunge rock, and allude to a tumultuous past of wild nights, addiction and heartbreak.
But look a little deeper, and you’ll find a catalog full of nuance and stark vulnerability.
Wade hails from Virginia, and she burst onto the scene in 2021 with her first major label success, Reckless. The first single off the album was “Wilder Days,” a wistful, genre-braiding song about getting to know a new lover, and wishing you could get to know their checkered past, too.
Since then, Wade has continued to take on complex subject matter. In her lyrics, she shares her darkest mental health days, keeps a white-knuckle grip on sobriety and paints vivid pictures of heartbreak and fragile new relationships.
Though she cops to being pretty guarded in songs like “Take Me Away,” Wade never keeps her emotions hidden in her music. Throughout a range of subject matter, the singer sings emotionally vulnerable, deeply personal songs.
If anything, she’s become more open-hearted as her career has progressed. In 2025, Wade released the haunting “Hardwood Floor,” a searing expression of the pain of infertility.
Read More: Morgan Wade Prepares for Double Mastectomy
In real life, Wade underwent a preventative double mastectomy after learning she has a genetic mutation that starkly increases the risk of ovarian and breast cancer. Now, she’s undergoing an IVF and egg retrieval process before having a hysterectomy.
Though she’s only been in the mainstream eye for a few years, Wade has quickly established herself as a prominent and one-of-a-kind presence in country music.
Keep reading for a look into Morgan Wade’s best and most emotionally resonant songs.
10 Morgan Wade Songs Every New Fan Should Hear
Covered in head-to-toe tattoos and often clad in leather or muscle tees, Morgan Wade’s first impression is tough as nails. But her lyrics tell a much more nuanced story.
She’s one of alt-country’s most compelling, vulnerable and vocally arresting performers, and Wade has made a name for herself as a heartfelt storyteller and cathartic performer. Keep reading for Taste of Country’s primer on the best Morgan Wade songs for a new fan to get to know her music.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
