Hayden Panettiere: New show is a dream

Hayden Panettiere says singing on screen is a "dream come true".

The actress is sassy country songstress Juliette Barnes in ABC show Nashville, which also stars Connie Britton. Hayden has been praised for her vocal talents, with co-star Connie saying she's a "legitimately great singer".

The star remains modest about her singing voice.

"What Connie's not saying is that she's been amazing since the beginning… She's going to be schooling us all," she told Collider.

"I recorded an album when I was younger, from about 15 to 19, and in that period of time, I just was so ever-changing, as a person… I quit after about four or five years of recording and said, 'This is not me.' But I also said that, if I was ever going to do music again, I would do country music. So, for this to come along… it's a dream come true, really. I don't mean that in a cliché way."

Hayden is famed for her role as Claire Bennet in hit sci-fi series Heroes. The 22-year-old star is glad she is experimenting with different genres.

"I was dealing with CGI for four years of my life, ten months out of the year. It was a very large part of my life, for years. You can't really compare that," she explained.

"That's the great thing about this industry, and what I love about being an actor. Every project, you hope, is different and every character, you hope, is different, along with everywhere you get to go and the people you meet and get to work with. That's what keeps me interested in what I do."