Julianne Hough is Country Music's Dancing Star
Dancing with the Stars Dancer Excels at Dancing and Singing
May 7, 2009
This season Julianne partnered with her boyfriend, country singer Chuck Wicks. When they were not voted back, it was more than Julianne’s season farewell. She has decided not to return to the show next season.
Dancing with the Stars
As a younger girl (she’s only 20 years old), Julianne left her family in Utah and went to London to study dancing. “I've had a lot of opportunities when it comes to dance and moving to London,” she says. “And being a part of Dancing with the Stars is huge. I mean, to me, ABC obviously is, I think, the best ever. But being a part of that is great. And then I thought about maybe doing American Idol and stuff, but I felt like Dancing with the Stars is more me.”
Twice Julianne has won the coveted mirror ball trophy with her partners on Dancing with the Stars. The professional dancers actually choreograph their own dances in the competition, and Hough explains, “Being a good choreographer is not being a good choreographer for yourself. It's about your partners and what they can do and what brings their personality out and a lot of the times, a lot of professionals choreograph the night before they go and meet their partners. I can't.” She is a true professional when it comes to her work. “I have to have that person there, right there.” She adds, “I have more of a theatrical side of choreographing. I'm not just straight Latin and straight ballroom. I try to make it more fun. It is a competition, and technique is involved. But there are millions of people watching on TV, and they want to be entertained and feel like they're there.”
From Utah to London
Having been born and raised for the most part in Utah, Julianne has lived in several places and wherever she goes she is quick to pick up the local accents. “When I lived in London, I had a full-on English accent. Nobody knew I was American. Then I came back. I was American with a Utah accent. And then I've been in Nashville for a couple months. I kind of just pick it up wherever I go. So don't ask me to go to Germany because that would be interesting,” she says with a chuckle.
“I started singing, acting, and dancing when I was three years old in Utah. And it was in a family band -- and (we) did that whole thing and did little plays. And then I had the opportunity, when I was 10, to move to London and go to a performing arts school there and then really focus on the dance. That was the ballroom and the Latin side of things. So while I was there, I really focused in on that but never stopped singing. But I definitely had a lot more experiences and opportunities when it came to the dance.”
Her Passion is Country Music
“I grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Reba. I love Reba. I love Shania and Faith Hill, of course.” Julianne is very passionate about country music and the top group of female singers. “Growing up, listening to country music, that's what turned me on to country music was just the fact that it's so real and normal and you can have the family and the life.” Her single, “That Song in my Head,” from her self titled debut CD, is definitely something that sticks in your head after you hear her sing it. Julianne credits Dancing with the Stars for giving her a boost in the music industry.
Hough thinks back on her life and explains, “I was away from my family from when I was 10 to 15, and certain things happened, but it's a learning experience. It's who I am today, and you'll definitely hear about some of those things in some songs to come.” She adds, “My parents got divorced when I was nine, and so that was a good time for me to leave the house, so I moved to London. I can't get in too much detail yet. I probably will just save that for a little later.” Could that be the making of a new country song?
While Julianne is happy dancing, right now singing is what’s propelling her through her life. Julianne Hough is both a great dancer and singer, and a very lovely young woman. “Country is where my heart is. It's always been there. I don't want to do anything that's not real to who I am. Otherwise it's phony. I want to be real.”
