Feb
21
Submitted by JHFan on Sat, 02/21/2009 - 12:00
Julianne Hough knows the right way to dance into CMA Music Festival — with a No. 1 album debut, a co-hosting gig on an ABC special and a growing list of magazine cover features.
The 19-year-old blonde is the "it" girl of this year's annual gathering of country music fans. Last year, the two-time Dancing with the Stars champion took the stage only to introduce country duo Big & Rich. This year, she takes center stage tonight for a special performance at LP Field and she will join Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler as hosts of ABC's CMA Music Festival special airing Sept. 8.
Hough took time during her hectic schedule Thursday to stop by a spa, but only because Natural Oasis is owned by her older sister, Marabeth Poole, and Hough was being followed by an ABC camera crew for a segment called "This Is My Nashville" that's part of the CMA TV special.
"Honestly I don't think I would be here without my family and their support and just being able to believe in myself and not listen to what people say. I've had a lot of people say, 'What are you doing? You are ruining your life because your career is set … as a dancer and you're going to make tons of money.' I was like, 'I don't want to do that. That is not true to who I am. I want to do what I love,' " Hough said.
After its May 20 release, Hough's self-titled debut went to No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. In its second week, it is No. 3, behind Taylor Swift's multi-platinum Taylor Swift and Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits.
"This is my real passion," she said. "I'm not just a sellout that's coming here who's just going to have a short-term singing career. I want this to be a long-term singing career. … I'm going to write and play guitar. I'm really serious about this."
Hough said one of the most wonderful things has been the support of fans and artists.
"I don't think it's hit me," she said of her success. "It has hit me, but it's just so hard to believe that, 'Oh my gosh, I'm just Julianne. I can't believe that just Julianne can have a number one country album.' Wow, I just said that and it sounded crazy!"
Luke Lewis, chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville, said that Hough was born to entertain. "She's blessed with a whole lot of gifts," he said. "She's one of those young people you run into and you wish she was your daughter. She's amazingly grounded for somebody who has been in the limelight like she has.
"I believe what you see is what you get. She's very forthright and doesn't put on airs. She carries herself like a Southern lady."
Singing Came First
Hough began performing country songs at age 3 at fairs and festivals with her four siblings in Utah, and has been singing longer than she's been dancing.
"It's like an actor coming to Nashville, and there have been some that want to be country music stars," Lewis said. "You are sort of immediately suspect. You spend a few minutes with Julianne Hough and you realize that she wanted to be a singer more than she wanted to be a dancer. She just didn't have the opportunity until the last couple of years. She is grabbing the bull by the horns, I'll tell you that."
At 10, Hough moved to London to attend a performing arts school, and her dancing really took off when she won two world titles as a teen. But she never gave up on her love of country or her desire to sing professionally. Her mother mailed her albums by LeAnn Rimes and other contemporary country artists.
At 15, Hough returned to Utah to finish high school and focus on her singing career. After graduation, with $2,000 in her pocket, she moved to Los Angeles instead of Nashville because she knew she could support herself by dancing. She accepted a gig on the Dancing with the Stars tour because she needed to money to make her rent. There, manager Irving Azoff discovered her and helped launch her country career.
"I've been really fortunate in feeling like the stars are aligned because everything kind of worked out great. The people I've met have been thepeople to work with," said Hough of her managers, Azoff and Scott Siman.
Despite her country ambitions, Hough is obligated to continue competing on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, which has turned her into a nationally recognized celebrity.
"I want to focus on the music because that is where my heart is and that is where I want my life to go. I want to be a country artist and be known for that. I want to keep pursuing singing and writing and really make a mark as an artist.
"The dancing I love it, and it's a huge passion of mine anyway and I'll always dance just because I love it, but that for me was an avenue to get my foot in the door. Everybody has their little things that they do. American Idol people who haven't even been in the top 10 have careers with their music because of the exposure. It's definitely helped and I love the show."