Friends for life, London singers/dancers/musicians Mark Ballas and Derek Hough began collaborating together as teenagers. After enlisting the talents of classically trained vocalist Emily Grace, drummer Harry Sullivan, and bassist Sam Marder, the five-piece began playing gigs in their hometown under the name Almost Amy, inspired in equal parts by danceable pop and edgier funk and rock. In 2005, buoyed by Derek and Mark’s appearance on DANCING WITH THE STARS (Mark even won Season 6 with partner Kristi Yamaguchi), the group changed their name to the Ballas Hough Band, snagged a record deal with Hollywood Records and released 2009’s BHB, which debuted on the Billboard Top 100 album chart.