Heroes star Hayden Panettiere is set to delight fans by releasing her much-anticipated debut album later this year. The 18-year-old actress admits she has been working on the record for the past three years, but finally got an opportunity to update her sound thanks to the Hollywood writers strike, which gave her some free time to experiment musically.

The teen star first began recording aged 15, with her tunes appearing in movie soundtracks including 2007's Bridge To Terabithia.

But Panettiere insists her new work is a change from the songs of her early teen years.

She tells MTV, "I've grown up a lot since I started."

- Hayden Panettiere Gallery

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)