BY SUZY STUMP for WEEKLY VOLCANO 9/26/25 |
Acclaimed country artist Kaitie Wade will perform live and free at The Penalty Box in Lakewood on Friday, September 26 at 9 p.m. The show is presented by Cloneapalooza Events and Entertainment. The timing coincides with Wade’s release of her newest single, “Fireball,” and an invitation to the Northwest Country Music Association awards.
Wade is originally from Seattle and studied vocal performance at Belmont University in Nashville, a school that has trained many professional singers. After relocating to Nashville, she spent several years building her career there, performing in well-known venues along Broadway and opening for Russell Dickerson, Adam Craig, and Riley Green.
Her first extended play came out in 2017. The lead single, “Don’t Wanna Miss,” was noted in Billboard’s Country Music Update and picked up airplay on Music Row Reporting stations, including Renegade Radio Nashville. She followed that with a nationwide radio tour and gained attention for her summertime anthem “Vacay,” which logged more than 60,000 streams on Spotify.
Wade’s most recent work has shown a wider range. In February 2023 she released “Revival,” a ballad she described as inspired by the chaos and isolation of 2020. Music publications covered the track as a debut in the Christian genre, with Music Existence praising her vocals and Jamsphere calling it a “must-hear” single for its message of turning to faith in difficult times. The Christian Beat likewise noted how the lyrics drew from her personal experiences of struggle.
Her latest release, “Fireball,” has been promoted by Wade on her website and social media as a career highlight. A video for the song is available on her YouTube channel. She has scheduled a run of performances across the Pacific Northwest built around the single, including the Lakewood date.
In interviews and press coverage, Wade has received consistent recognition for her performance and songwriting. Nashville producer Mike Lombardi described her style as “truly changing the face of country music.” Captain Jack of Renegade Radio Nashville called her “fun country music by a talented lady with an incredible career ahead,” and Ron Camacho, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Country Soul, said she is “rockin’, relevant and unforgettable.”
Beyond Nashville and Washington, Wade’s music has been heard on radio stations in France, the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Canada. Her career path reflects both national reach and local grounding. After several years in Tennessee, she has returned to the Pacific Northwest to focus on performing and touring in her home region while also working as a vocal coach.
Local audiences will remember her early coverage in Seattle Music Insider, which reviewed one of her acoustic sets in 2017. That performance showed her ability to hold a room with voice and songwriting rather than stage effects. Nearly eight years later, she is back on Northwest stages with more experience and a deeper catalog of songs.
For Lakewood, the upcoming Penalty Box appearance offers a chance to see Wade perform her newest material in a small, free show. Attendees can expect a mix of songs from across her career, from “Don’t Wanna Miss” and “Vacay” to “Revival” and “Fireball.” With an NW CMA nomination in hand and steady new releases, Wade is positioned as an independent artist with momentum.
Details about the event are available on her official website, kwademusic.com, and her Facebook music page. Music videos and lyric videos are posted on her YouTube channel, where fans can also find “Fireball” and “Revival.”
