How the Music for ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Comes Together Every Week
On the latest episode of Billboard On the Record, DWTS music director Ray Chew joins to talk about how the show is "unicorn" for live TV music.
Dancing With the Stars, a beloved and long-running competition show, has been delighting audiences for 35 seasons, beginning its latest run on September 15 and 16 on ABC and Disney+. Ray Chew, the show’s music director, has been instrumental in modernizing the music to appeal to current pop culture trends. Chew leads a 14-piece band that recreates hit Broadway musicals, reacts to TikTok viral hits, and covers a wide range of genres, tempos, and styles.
The show is shot in real time, and Chew’s average day starts at 3:30 AM and doesn’t end until the show wraps that evening.
Chew and his team work diligently to create arrangements for the songs choreographers choose in real time, a process he refers to as "unbaking the cake." They have to figure out the unique elements of each song and recreate them, often racing against the clock to complete their work by Saturday, when the band rehearses all the songs for the live show.
Nancy Severinsen, the show’s music supervisor, handles the rights clearance for the songs, which can be a complex and last-minute process involving multiple writers and publishers.
Despite the challenges, Chew takes pride in his work, noting that the pressure of live TV is nothing new to him. He has a rich background music directing major events, including the Grammy Awards, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and American Idol. However, he emphasizes that Dancing With the Stars is a unique and valuable experience for live TV. With the show’s expanding streaming presence, Chew’s role remains constant, as they continue to bring high-quality, live music to audiences across platforms.
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