'Dancing' champ Hough signs record deal

Two-time "Dancing with the Stars" champ Julianne Hough has signed a record deal with Universal Music Group and is expected to release a country single in early 2008.

Hough, 19, will be on the company's Mercury Records label, said Universal Music Group spokeswoman Amber Williams. She's expected to begin recording the album in Nashville early next month with producer David Malloy, Williams said.

Hough won the past two seasons of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" with celebrity partners Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves.

She released a country single, "Will You Dance With Me," on iTunes in May.