Julianne Hough Has 'Unfinished Business' After Dropping Songs for New Book: 'Probably More Music Coming' (Exclusive)

Julianne Hough is making her long-awaited return to music.

In an interview about her new book Everything We Never Knew, available on Tuesday, Aug, 13, the 36-year-old dancer shares that the release of her fiction novel comes with accompanying music. 

“I’m releasing music for the first time in a really long time, and it's because I felt like I kind of just pivoted during my country career, and I just went to something else because, even though I was doing great, I didn't feel personally successful enough,” Hough, who released a self-titled studio album in 2008, tells PEOPLE. “I'm coming back around in this cycle of feeling like I have unfinished business, but I'm so glad I'm doing it now.”

The music — title track “Everything We Never Knew” and four additional songs, “Air,” “Fire,” “Water” and “Earth” — helps tell the story of the book's main character, Lexi, who realizes she can feel other people’s emotions and see into their memories.

“I am writing these songs that really mean something to this journey that I've been on, and each one of these songs ties to one of the lessons that Lexi goes through in the book,” Hough explains.

“For ‘Air,’ she will learn how to speak up for herself for the first time," she adds. "In ‘Fire,’ she’s really connecting to her body, her sensuality and her life force energy. Learning to create more of a healthy anger versus a resentful anger, grief, and losses have to do with the ‘Water’ lesson that she goes through. And then ‘Earth’ is all around the family system and the roots of forgiveness without forgetting… healing that family system after violation and abandonment and betrayal.”

Hough, who says her new fiction novel is based on personal experiences — “I went through a huge transformational time in 2020, and I wanted to share everything, but I didn't want to give all of myself away. So I thought, why don't I write a fiction novel?” she tells PEOPLE — admits that releasing it to the world leaves her feeling “vulnerable.”

“This book is so important to me and my whole life, I've really been a performer where I've taken projects and performed it outward, and with this book, this really felt like it came from me as an artist, and I feel more vulnerable sharing this than with anything else I've ever shared,” the Dancing with the Stars dancer-turned-host says. 

While her title track is now available to stream, Hough is looking forward to releasing the rest of the songs that go along with the novel, whenever that might be. “I feel so excited to share my story and my narrative through a form of creativity and art,” the Rock of Ages star says. 

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“We're kind of figuring out what the date is right now for the rest of the music because as I've been writing it, I'm continuing to write more. And I'm like, ‘Do I just make an album?’ So in August or September, we will have those pieces of music for the book, but there's probably more music coming.”

Everything We Never Knew, out Aug. 13 from Sourcebooks Landmark, is available for pre-order.