Julianne Hough

Known primarily as the winner (along with Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves) of two consecutive seasons of the ABC television reality dance competition Dancing With the Stars, Julianne Hough was also a successful country singer, who released her first single, "Will You Dance With Me," on iTunes and Wal-Mart in 2007. Born July 20, 1988 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Hough spent the majority of her younger years studying dance at various schools, eventually winding up in London, where she won the prestigious Junior Blackpool World Latin Champion and International Latin Youth Champion awards. Upon her return to the States, Hough went to the performing arts high school Las Vegas Academy, and upon graduating set her sights on stardom in California, where she soon got her first taste of the business as an assistant choreographer on a Gwen Stefani video. From there she made a number of television appearances, eventually landing on -- and winning -- Dancing With the Stars for the 2006 season. She defended her title in 2007, and then went on to a rash of promotional appearances. Her aforementioned debut single, released in May of '07, cracked the top 100 on the Billboard country charts, and helped Hough score a deal with Universal Music Nashville. In March of 2008, Hough released her second single, "That Song In My Head," and announced that she would be a part of a summer tour supporting Brad Paisley. Her debut album was due later that year. ~ Chris True, All Music Guide