You may know actress Lucy Hale as one of the stars of the ABC Family drama 'Pretty Little Liars,' but a decade ago, she was one of the five winners of the 'American Idol' spin-off 'American Juniors.' She's even described music as her first love and cited Shania Twain and Faith Hill as early influences -- so it's not surprising that she's now recording a country album of her own.

Back in June, Hale alluded to the news with a tweet showing herself in the studio:

According to a press release issued on Aug. 26, Hale's made several trips to Nashville over the past few months "to write and record her highly anticipated debut album with producer Mark Bright." Her first single is expected next year, and this fall, she'll meet and perform for country radio programmers across the country.

“Music is my heart and I'm so blessed to say that this album turned out to be something I'm very proud of,” explained Hale, a 24-year-old native of Memphis. “I'm unbelievably excited to hit the road this fall to meet country radio and share what I've been working on and feel extremely lucky to work alongside DMG Nashville, Hollywood Records, Bigger Picture Group and the awesome Mark Bright.”

“DMG Nashville is excited to [bring] Lucy’s musical talent to Nashville and beyond,” said Ken Bunt, President of the Disney Music Group, while Bigger Picture Group President, Michael Powers, added, "It’s amazing to be a part of bringing both Lucy Hale and DMG back home to Tennessee and to Country Radio."

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