For tweens growing up in the 2000s, Hilary Duff was a name synonymous with “icon” and “idol.” Best known at the time for portraying middle-schooler Lizzie McGuire on the Disney show of the same name, Duff’s character helped young girls navigate the awkward stages of puberty. Whether that was getting her first bra or going on a date with her crush, Duff was there with them through it all, one clumsy tumble at a time.
Despite being a child star, Duff was able to transition out of Disney mostly unscathed, acting in more mature roles in shows like Younger, Gossip Girl, and most recently, How I Met Your Father. Still, if you were to ask people where they know Duff from, many will say their childhoods. So when Duff announced her comeback to music late last year after about a decade, many were surprised when the songs she was putting out were no longer about schoolgirl crushes and first loves. In January of 2026, after the success of her first single, “Mature,” Duff teased another song called Roommates. This song explored that ache Duff had for a wilder and freer time before she was caught up in packing school lunches and attending parent-teacher conferences. In a post on Instagram, Duff wrote, “It’s the restless hum of wanting to find your way back – to your rhythm, to your person, to yourself.” The song itself describes the freeing feelings of being at the beginning of a relationship, when all you want to do is be with that person. It’s fun, sexy and very different from what Duff and her fans have been used to since her debut into stardom in 2001.
In 2013, Duff welcomed her first child, Luca, with her then husband, Mike Kormie. Since then, she’s had three more children with her current husband, music producer Matthew Koma. Being a pop star and a mother of four young children isn’t common, and Duff knows that. Instead of throwing in the towel and reflecting on her “younger days,” Duff said she’s ready to meet her fans as the woman she is now. But were her fans ready to meet her? In an interview with Alex Cooper on her podcast Call Her Daddy, Duff responded to the backlash she received from listeners on Roommates. In the song, Duff sings verses like “I’m touching myself looking at porn,” and “Back of the dive bar giving you head.” These lyrics, which Duff explained were exaggerated, shocked and angered listeners. One of the craziest comments Duff said she received was from someone asking whether she does “these things in front of her children.” Duff told Cooper she found the question outrageous and said, “The song is meant to be polarizing and raunchy.” She said that she isn’t making music for children anymore, she’s making it for herself and for people like her. For years, Duff was coined as the “good girl,” as she escaped the stereotype of child stars “going bad.” She admitted that it was a hard image to live up to, one that she wasn’t even sure she fit in as she navigated love, sex and relationships in the public eye. For her, “Roommates,” as well as the rest of the album, luck…or something, has finally given her the chance to control the narrative and tell her truth on her terms.
So, what exactly is that truth? To Duff, part of it is answering the question of whether women can really “have it all.” It’s nice to believe that women in the public eye, or women pursuing careers, can also juggle motherhood full on, but Duff told People that she had to sacrifice some things to put the record first. It wasn’t a choice she made easily, but she stressed the importance of “choosing yourself,” and carving out time to make this album was powerful for her.
It’s become a norm in society for women to give up or put their careers on hold to raise their children while their husbands go to work and live relatively normal lives. While things have changed drastically from the 1950s, when women had hardly more than a high school diploma under their belts, there are still a number of women who feel like their lives have been reduced to cleaning up spills and signing permission slips. Although Duff isn’t a typical stay-at-home mother -or really one at all- as she’s spent the last decade acting and creating her own wellness brand, she told Vogue that her personal interests began to slip lower and lower on her list of priorities. Many parents who choose to stay home with their children full-time feel disconnected from the person they were before having kids. They have trouble differentiating themselves, leading to burnout or, in the worst cases, resentment. In an interview with the LA Times, Duff reflected on feelings of jealousy towards her husband as he got to go to work every day and be alone with his thoughts while she nursed their three small children. She said she had to make a decision: either lose herself completely by becoming a stay-at-home mom, or create something that moves her.
That’s why Duff said she felt like now was the perfect time to return to music. Duff told Vogue she has built the family she has always dreamed of, so she feels like she can step away and take time for herself. She doesn’t need to worry about midnight feedings or teething babies; instead, she can write about lovers from the past and her complicated relationship with her sister. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel guilty leaving her children to pursue her career. She’s had to find a balance between maintaining her growing career and being a mother. Creating this album has given her the chance to blend her old and new selves.
Duff is no longer a single 20-something-year-old, so the choice to tour her album wasn’t one she made alone. Although it was hard, she told Glamour that embarking on her world tour was something she not only wanted but refused to feel guilty about. Oftentimes, there’s this idea that women who choose to elevate their careers instead of staying with their children end up harming them in the long run. However, for Duff, it’s the opposite. As she struggled to decide whether a music career was a path she should once again pursue, it was her son Luca who encouraged her. After her show in LA last year, Duff said Luca told her he was proud of her. This small but kind sentiment helped her to know that her decision to choose herself was the right one.
Identity isn’t singular, and there shouldn’t be a limit on how many times one person can change themselves. While it is harder for women, specifically in creative careers, to pivot from the labels the press or their fans have given them, Duff is proof that forging your own path and blocking out whoever is in the way can lead to success. Whether you’re 30 and stuck in a dead-end job or 38 and have the itch to make music again, there is no stopwatch ticking down the minutes until it’s no longer acceptable. So write that story, record that song, or apply for that degree; after all, this is what dreams are made of.
