As Memorial Day celebrations concluded across the United States, the music world turned its attention to Las Vegas for the 2025 American Music Awards on the night of May 26th. Held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the event saw country music superstar Lainey Wilson take the stage to debut her new single, “Somewhere Over Laredo,” offering attendees and viewers the first live performance of the track from the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year.

Introduced by her friends Dan + Shay, Wilson, also known as the “4X4XU” singer, delivered a captivating performance. She appeared clad in a stunning white bell-bottomed suit, complete with a flowy cape that fluttered in a light breeze, a silver belt buckle, and a matching mic stand. Performing alongside a pianist, the stage was enhanced with fog effects and moving cloud visuals on surrounding screens, creating an ethereal atmosphere as if she were standing on cloud nine.

Wilson has described “Somewhere Over Laredo” as one of the most personal songs she has ever released. She shared with CBS Mornings that the song was inspired by her frequent travels, stating, 'I spend a lot of my time, 30,000 feet in the air, flying to the next show, the next town. And, you know, when you’re staring out the window, you get to just spend a little bit of time with yourself and reminisce and dream, talk to God, all of those things.' She added, 'This song right here, it gave me an opportunity to step back into a pair of shoes I wore a long time ago. I’m partial, but this is one of my favorite songs I have ever written.' During the performance, Wilson sang poignant lyrics: 'Caught me a red-eye flight out of Houston/Found me a window seat with a view/Headed out west for south California/One Tito’s in I’m thinking about you… Knowing 20 minutes from now/I’ll be somewhere over Laredo/Dreaming ’bout those rodeo nights.'

Lainey Wilson co-wrote her latest single with Andy Albert, Dallas Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Edgar Yipsel Hartburg, and Harold Arlan. The song notably interpolates the melody of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the iconic piece from The Wizard of Oz originally performed by Judy Garland, which explains the inclusion of Hartburg and Arlan as credited songwriters, they being the original writers of the classic. Wilson acknowledged the inspiration, stating, 'Of course, everybody is inspired by the song ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’”

“Somewhere Over Laredo” is set to appear on an upcoming deluxe edition of Wilson’s 2024 album, Whirlwind, scheduled for release on August 22. This expanded version will also feature other new songs, including “King Ranch, King George, King James,” “Yesterday, All Day, Every Day,” “Peace, Love, and Cowboys,” and “Bell Bottoms Up.” The latter title also serves as the name for Wilson’s Nashville honky-tonk.

Wilson's performance at the AMAs comes on the heels of significant success at the 2025 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards. At the ACMs, she not only repeated as Entertainer of the Year but also took home awards for Female Artist of the Year, Artist-Songwriter of the Year, and Album of the Year for Whirlwind. Her presence at the ACMs also included a performance with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert on McEntire’s new song “Trailblazer.”

At the 2025 American Music Awards, Lainey Wilson was nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist. She was contending for the award alongside other talented artists such as Beyoncé, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, and Megan Moroney.

The AMAs also highlighted other country music talents. Nominees for Favorite Male Country Artist included Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Post Malone, and Shaboozey. In the Favorite Country Duo or Group category, Dan + Shay, Old Dominion, Parmalee, The Red Clay Strays, and Zac Brown Band were among the contenders.