She was 9 years old and was already being heard around the world without anyone seeing her face.
It was 1998 when Hayden Panettiere lent her voice to Princess Dot, the small and brave ant from A Bug’s Life, Pixar’s acclaimed animated film. No one expected that role, conceived as a sweet voice for an insect story, to end up opening a door reserved for very few: the following year, in 1999, she received a Grammy nomination in the Best Children’s Album category for the film’s soundtrack.
With that, she became one of the youngest people in history to be nominated for a Grammy. Years before the world knew her as a television actress, she had already left a quiet mark on the industry: that of a 9-year-old girl competing in the big leagues of music, with only her voice.