You may know 20-year-old Julianne Hough (pronounced “Huff”) as the two-time winner of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” but she has recently fulfilled her dream of becoming a country music singer.

“I’ve always wanted to sing country music,” Hough says. “I’ve grown up with country music. I love how real everybody is, not just the artists, but the fans.”

Hough was born in Utah. When her parents separated, she was 10-years-old, she threw herself into dancing. She soon took the opportunity to study performing arts in London. After five years, Hough decided that she wanted to pursue music back in the U.S.

“I really wanted to sing and I knew if I stayed in London, I wouldn’t be able to do that,” Hough says. “I would only be dancing, so I had to make a really tough decision.” -

“‘Do I stay here and pursue a career that I know I’m going to succeed at? Or do I go back home, start from scratch and pursue what I really want to do?’ A lot of people told me that I was crazy and that I’d never make it.”
Hough moved to Los Angeles, knowing she could earn her living as a dancer while pursuing her musical dreams. She then started making trips to Nashville on her time off where she met producer David Malloy. The two recorded “Will You Dance With Me” for an American Red Cross fundraising project that benefited Kansas tornado victims.

“It was so amazing,” Hough says of the experience. “The song received quite a reaction on iTunes and peaked at number eight on their country charts despite never being released to radio.”

Hough then landed a deal with UMGN and a spot on the Mercury Nashville roster, which also represents Hough’s influences, Reba McEntire and Shania Twain. Her self-titled debut album was released in May 2008, debuting at number one on the Billboard Country Album chart and number three on the Billboard 200.
Hough’s debut is a collection of songs about the joys and challenges of everyday life.

“I love story songs and message songs,” Hough says, referring to the songs on the album. “But I also love quirky, fun, up-tempo songs that make you want to just get up and move.”
Hough sites the song “Help Me, Help You” as one of her favorite songs on the album.

“That’s a message song and it’s pretty intense,” she says. “It’s about a girl who is trying to help her friend who is an alcoholic. It says what I’d want to say to a friend in trouble.”

Hough recently received an American Country Music award for “Top New Artist.” Hough says that she is right where she wants to be.

“I was scared that people would say, ‘Just because she got a little bit of recognition on the TV show, she thinks she can make a record,’ ” she says. “But I’ve been wanting to do this a long, long time and I hope the music speaks for itself.”