“Nashville’’ kid stars Lennon and Maisy Stella are wowing country radio with their version of a Lumineers hit. And Claire Bowen turned her ‘‘If I Didn’t Know Better’’ from the show into an iTunes hit. (ABC)
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Filming a music video, sexy country cutie Juliette Barnes, with flowing blond hair, dressed in short-shorts and cowboy boots, surrounds herself with hot backup singers as she shakes her hips, pouts and belts out “Telescope” — “my eyes, my eyes, my eyes are like a telescope.”
Seems like any other video shoot, but Barnes is actually a character played by Hayden Panettiere on ABC’s hit musical drama, “Nashville,” a series about two dueling country stars.
And although the episode aired in the fall, thousands of people are still listening to “Telescope” on their iPods and on country radio.
Nashville, a city synonymous with making stars, is now a TV show that makes hits. Still in its first season, it has already released 40 songs to iTunes and three to country radio. Volume 2 of the soundtrack is due May 7.
“These days, a songwriter getting a song on ‘Nashville’ must be like getting your book on Oprah’s Book Club used to be. It’s a chance to give your music the oxygen of attention,” says Rolling Stone contributing editor Rob Sheffield.
‘‘Nashville’’ has showered musical exposure on its stars — Panettiere’s “Telescope” hit No. 36 on Billboard’s country chart last fall.
The show’s two youngest actors, sisters Lennon and Maisy Stella (ages 12 and 9), performed a country version of “Ho Hey” (by the Lumineers) last week, and it’s already a country-radio hit.
Some tracks are written by legends like Elvis Costello, while others are penned by up-and-coming Nashville songwriters, which adds to the appeal of the show, Sheffield says.
Frankie Pine, the drama’s music supervisor, says, “The characters all have different styles, which makes the show really exciting to work on. Juilette [Panetierre] is our pop princess, so ‘Telescope’ was perfect for her.’’
Steve Buchanan, the president of the Grand Ole Opry, invented “Nashville” as a vehicle to create hits. The show’s executive producer watched country acts like Carrie Underwood and Scotty McCreery win “American Idol” and saw an opportunity to sell music from a scripted series based in his hometown.
“Whether it’s a more reality-based show or a scripted show, there’s a demand for purchasing the music that you hear on TV,” Buchanan says. “The great thing about technology is that can happen today. People can download individual songs.”
Now “Nashville” is following in the footsteps of ‘‘Idol’’ and ‘‘Glee,’’ both of which sent their singing stars out on the road. Plans for a tour are in the “vague stages,” reveals Charles Esten, who plays a lead guitarist on “Nashville.”
About 10 years ago, hourlong dramas like “The O.C.” and “Grey’s Anatomy” used songs from lesser-known indie artists to support story lines, turning Snow Patrol and the Fray into household names.
But now, shows that incorporate the music into their stories are all over prime time. NBC’s “Smash” took a dive in the ratings this season, but its original music — created by Broadway veterans Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman — has enjoyed chart success. Earlier this year, “Bombshell,” a compilation of the songs from the series’ fictitious Broadway musical, debuted among the top 20 iTunes albums.
“The songs that Scott and I write, although it’s not like they’re written on the back of a shovel in Abe Lincoln’s cabin, they certainly have a more traditional musical-theater sound to them, which isn’t what people are looking for on iTunes. So it was thrilling to see us in the top 20 with ‘Bombshell,’ ” Shaiman says.
New Orleans-set “Treme’’ records about 10 songs live on set each episode. “We’ve worked with all these great New Orleans artists, and captured what was happening [after Katrina]. I think that work will stand the test of time,” music supervisor Blake Leyh says.
Steve Earle, a musician who acts on “Treme,” got a Grammy nomination for “This City,” created for the show.
Meanwhile, “Nashville” stars are taking advantage of the limelight, performing at venues in Tennessee. “From the very beginning, we wanted to make our characters and our actors into big country stars,” says Pine.
Yee-haw to that!
kstorey@nypost.com