How Derek Hough is Handling the Pressure of the 'Derek Hough Live!' Tour

Photo credit: Trae Patton/NBC.

Derek Hough is embarking on a major venture in 2019, his first solo tour throughout the U.S. When he announced the tour back in June, fans got a little tease of what the show was going to incorporate from dance to percussion to live music.

More: How Club Jeté Became The Dance Industry’s Leading Choreography Showcase In Los Angeles

On a recent set visit to World of Dance, which will be coming to NBC in Winter 2019, Derek gave Dance Dish an exclusive update on how preparations are going for the tour.

"Right now, I'm putting together all of the music. By the way, that's the hardest part of a tour — not the choreography — it's getting the music together," Derek explained. "You need the right playlist, you need the right set that's going to dictate the show."

Derek is also making the experience more exciting for both the performers and the audience by having musicians on tour with him. There is a big reason why he chose this route, too.

More: Gaby Diaz's Next Stop is Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story'

"I'm having a live band. That was my thing. How do I make this tour feel different than all of the other tours that are out there right now? Before, when my sister and I went out, it was just us. Now there are so many shows out there, which is great for dance," he said. "How am I going to step it up and make it different? For me, live music has always been of huge importance to me and dancing is dictated by the music. To have a live percussionist and saxophone player on stage while we are dancing is so exciting. I've already had a band rehearsal and it's going to so much fun."

His last three tours, he had his sister, Julianne Hough, to share the responsibility and the pressure of headlining a tour. This time around, the burden and the joy are all on him.

"Honestly, I do feel a little pressure. I feel pressure in the sense that I want to make sure I do my absolute best job and leave no stone unturned," Derek revealed. "That's why I'm working on it right now with music, working with the musicians and getting these mixes together. I have absolute faith in the energy I will produce on that stage and give these people a show. I am very confident in that."

More: Choreographers & Creatives Get Real About The Impact of COVID-19

Derek also let us in on a secret that the tour was supposed to go out this fall, but the unusual World of Dance filming schedule took priority. It pushed his tour into 2019.

"I'm actually going to do another push because we announced it way early because it was supposed to be this fall, but because World of Dance got picked up for Season 3 — I had to push it. The release time was already on the books, so we decided to just put it out there," he shared. "So we are going to do another push at the beginning of the year when I usually would be promoting it. Thank you to all of the people who bought their tickets so far in advance. I think that just shows their support and I really, really appreciate it."

---

This site is independently produced and created. Thank you for your support as we bring you the most up-to-date dance news and insight. Here are ways to help keep dance journalism coming your way:

For weekly dance insight that goes beyond the surface, join our Patreon page for weekly dance news, twice-a-week podcasts and dance-industry analysis: Patreon.

Need a gift idea for a dance lover? Check out my Amazon page for gift ideas.

If you make a purchase using the link included, we may earn a small commission.

Looking to join a dance community? Dance Dish with KB is on Facebook! Don't forget to answer the two questions for admission to the private group.