‘Dancing With the Stars’ music director Ray Chew breaks down how ‘DWTS’ pulls off live music every week—“unbaking the cake” on arrangements, managing rehearsals, and executing under the pressure of live TV where “there is no do-it-again.” Ray also shares how he got his start (including ‘Saturday Night Live’ and Showtime at the Apollo), what goes into the ‘Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’ broadcast (including “rainy day vocals”), and what he learned from working with legends like Quincy Jones and Alicia Keys.
00:00:00 Ray Chew intro
00:02:15 What a music director does
00:05:10 Inside DWTS week: “unbake the cake”
00:09:35 Contestants + learning ballroom fast
00:13:05 DWTS evolution + show-day schedule
00:17:33 Live music on TV: “unicorn” + shoutouts
00:22:12 Macy’s Parade: cues, pre-records, failures
00:26:10 No do-overs: contingency plans + pressure
00:29:42 Music clearance: licensing realities
00:33:46 Early career: first call + jingles
00:37:14 Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones + lessons
00:47:02 Longevity, mentoring + social media shift
00:51:44 Big-event mindset: Super Bowl + leadership
00:55:14 Games: Spin the Record + What Would You Cue?
01:02:01 Wrap-up + outro
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Ray Chew on Music Directing Live TV: DWTS, SNL & Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade | On the Record
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Loveeee this convo! Ray is so talented and man, that schedule is crazy.
I’m so proud of my Cuzin Ray Chew and his FABULOUS CAREER🥰💪🏽👏🏽🙌🏽💐🫶🏽❤️😘