This weekend, fans will finally enter the colorful, larger-than-life world of Miranda Lambert’s Velvet Rodeo residency when she opens the show in Las Vegas.

But what’s a “Velvet Rodeo,” anyway? For one thing, it’s a tip of the hat to Miranda’s latest album, Palomino: Opening track “Acting Up” features the line “I want a sunset ride / A velvet rodeo.”

Miranda says that as she was dreaming up her Vegas show, she latched on to that phrase because of how perfectly it expressed the signature blend of personalities she infuses into her music.

“I’ve built my career on being feminine but also trying to have a bad-a** vibe at the same time,” the superstar tells ABC Audio. “It’s sometimes a hard line to walk, and I feel like that’s kind of what my music has done, as well.”

Now, she’ll bring those two contrasting personality traits to the Vegas stage. “I wanted something a little soft and feminine for Vegas, which is velvet. And then, obviously, a rodeo — I mean, I joined the circus for a living. That’s what I do,” she adds with a laugh.

Even though her residency is in Vegas, Miranda says the show — and her newest batch of songs on Palomino — takes her back to her Texas roots.

“I’ve really been enjoying my hats and my boots,” she details. “I started when I was 17, wearing a cowboy hat painted with the Texas flag. So I feel like I’m just back, full circle, back to my Texas roots a little bit, with the energy and sound of this record.” 

Miranda kicks her residency off on Friday. She’s got plans to be in Vegas for more shows through the rest of the year.

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