NEW YORK –Morgan Wadeis eight years sober and reveals to USA TODAY she can now look back on some of her younger years "fondly." The singer-songwriter gives fans a trip down memory lane with her fourth studio album"The Party is Over (recovered),"a release primarily comprised of reworked songs and demos that date as far back as 11 years. "There was a while that singing about shots and bars was kind of odd for me," Wade, 30, recalls after a performance forUSA TODAY Acoustic, a series that provides a stage for notable and rising talent across the USA TODAY Network. "I'm still a work in progress, but it's hard to see how far you've come until you look back. I'm proud of that 19-year-old because she was struggling, but she still came through." Wade is on tour with rock bands Shinedown andBush. In the wake of performing at Madison Square Garden, the country music artist chats about her latest album, what days off on tour typically look like and where she sees herself in 10 years (hint: it's with a family of her own). For Wade, a typical day off while on the road involves the local Dave & Buster's. Her go-to in the arcade is the "coin game," where a player uses a single token to push a group of tokens off a ledge and into their winnings. As for this trip to New York, there was no time for Dave & Buster's. Instead, Wade jokes that a visit to Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue kept her busy, where her purchases included "nothing crazy. I just bought a couple shirts." She hopes to continue shopping after our interview and notes her plans didn't include a visit to a tattoo parlor. Wade already sports two full sleeves of ink, in addition to tattoos on her neck and both legs. "I'm running out of space and the spots that I have left hurt really bad," she admits. "I'm not as tough as I look." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Morgan Wade (@morganwademusic) If Wade looks tough, it's probably because in addition to her tattoos, she's a weight lifter with "about four different gym memberships," she said on Instagram. Wade credits her workout routine with improving every part of her life, including songwriting. "I think (music and powerlifting) go hand-in-hand because I'm the healthiest I've ever been and you can't tour like we tour if you're not taking care of yourself," she says. Wade typically works out around 4:30 a.m. to limit distractions. "Even if I've only gotten a few hours of sleep and then I go work out, my day is a million times better." "Hardwood Floor" was inspired by Wade's desire to have children, and what she calls the "intense" egg retrieval process.Through genetic testing, Wade discovered she had an increased risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. She had a double mastectomy with reconstruction almost two years ago. "This song isn't just for women, it's for men too," she says, noting that her male band members cried when they first heard the song. "It's for anybody that's been affected by infertility." Wade says she's at a point in her life where she would like to have a family with kids, and has thought more about it over the past year. Fans have speculated Wade is dating "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kyle Richards, who starred as Wade's love interest in the 2023 music video for"Fall In Love With Me."During last year's "RHOBH" reunion,Richards denied that she pursued anything romanticwith Wade and told host Andy Cohen the musician "is my friend and I love her." For Wade's part, she doesn't bring up a partner (or a search for one) when describing what she envisions for the next 10 years. "I think touring less," she responds when asked about settling down. "I love to tour, but I have also missed a lot of family events. In the next 10 years, I want to have kids and spend as much time with them and do all the things because life is so short. "I want to still play music but find that healthy balance of being able to do both things," she continued. "That is what I'm hoping to figure out." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Morgan Wade gets candid on wanting kids, new album 'The Party is Over'
