Julianne Hough

From LoveToKnow Music

Julianne Hough is best known for her stints on Dancing With The Stars, but she is a country singer at heart. In the wake of her popularity on the ABC celebrity dancing competition, Hough threw her hat into the ring of the music industry and gave fans a chance to check out what she had to offer musically.

Julianne Hough: Early Years

Born July 20, 1988 in Provo, Utah, Julianne Hough spent her early childhood years in a business Mormon household with three sisters and a brother. Dancing was in her blood. All of her grandparents were professional dancers and her parents were on a competitive ballroom dancing team in college.

Hough, like her brother Derek, showed a talent for the family business at an early age. Her parents enrolled her in the Center Stage Performing Arts Studio, where she learned several different dance styles. She entered the competitive dancing circuit at age 9.

Hough's parents divorced when she was 10, and to protect her from the divorce proceedings, they sent her and her brother to London with dance coaches Corky and Shirley Ballas. There, they studied at the Italia Conti Academy, where they took classes in various styles of dance as well as acting and singing. Hough competed in competitions in the UK and became the only American to win the Junior World Latin Championship and the International Latin Youth Champion award at the famed Blackpool Dancing Competition.

Hough stayed in the UK for five years and then returned to the U.S. to finish high school. After high school graduation, she headed to Los Angeles to try and start her career in show business.

Julianne Hough: Acting and Dancing Careers

Upon arriving in L.A., Hough landed a gig as the assistant choreographer on the video for Wind It Up by Gwen Stefani. She remained active in choreography and in dance circles in Hollywood.

Less successfully, Hough tried to get a role on TV. She worked as an extra on Cold Case, did a few commercials and was a Million Dollar Dancer on Show Me The Money.

Her fortunes changed when she was selected to be one of the professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars. She came into the show on season four, when she was paired with Apolo Anton Ohno. The two won that season, which made Hough the youngest pro dancer to ever pull off a victory. She did it again in season five with her partner Helio Castroneves. She wasn't so lucky in seasons six, when she and Adam Carolla only lasted four rounds.

Hough came down with appendicitis early in season 7, so her partner, Cody Linley, spent much of the time practicing with a different partner. Hough did return, but she and Cody were eliminated. Hough spent season 8 dancing with her real life boyfriend, Chuck Wicks. The pair lasted through 8 rounds.

Julianne Hough: Music Career

In 2007, Hough released the single Will You Dance With Me to raise money for the Red Cross. The song didn't set any sales fires, but she attracted the attention of Universal Nashville, who signed her to a deal.

Her self titled debut release in May 2008 faired much better. On the country charts, it debuted at number one and it rose to number three on the mainstream charts. A Christmas album, called Sounds of the Season: The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection, didn’t do very well in terms of sales. That didn’t stop country music fans from awarding Hough Top New Female Vocalist at the 2009 Country Music Awards.

The stage is set for Hough to combine her music and dancing in 2010 when she stars opposite Chace Crawford in a remake of the 80s classic Footloose.

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