Hayden Panettiere’s Music Career, ‘Nashville’ & Beyond: 5 Things to Know

Hayden Panettiere, the actress and singer best known for her roles in Heroes, Scream and Nashville, died Sunday at age 36. While Panettiere sculpted an enduring acting career beginning as a child, her work in music was an equally memorable part of her legacy — particularly through her role as country star Juliette Barnes on Nashville.

As Juliette, Panettiere performed dozens of songs throughout the ABC musical drama’s six-season run, many of which were released commercially through the show’s soundtrack albums. Her performances weren’t simply incidental to the series. Panettiere’s recordings made their way onto Billboard‘s country charts, giving the actress a legitimate chart history of her own. Her rendition of “Telescope,” for example, became one of the best-known songs associated with her Nashville character, while recordings including “Undermine,” “Wrong Song” and “Don’t Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet” also charted.

Panettiere’s relationship with music began long before she stepped into Juliette Barnes’ boots. As a child, she contributed vocals to several film and television projects and recorded songs for movies including Ice Princess and Bridge to Terabithia. In 2008, she released “Wake Up Call,” her first single not tied to an acting role, demonstrating that a career in music was something she could pursue separate from her work onscreen.

Remarkably, Panettiere had already reached one of the music industry’s biggest stages before she was even a teenager. Her voice work on the A Bug’s Life Read-Along earned her a nomination for best spoken word album for children at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards in 2000, making her one of the youngest Grammy nominees in history. The Recording Academy lists Panettiere as a one-time Grammy nominee, with the nomination coming when she was just 10 years old.

From a childhood Grammy nod to country songs appearing on Billboard‘s charts, Panettiere’s music career stretched far beyond what her résumé as an actress might suggest. Here are five things to know about Panettiere’s music career.