Hilary Duff has had a massive comeback after stepping away from music. She’s performing live again after an almost 20-year hiatus from touring, embarking on the Lucky Me Tour in support of her album Luck…Or Something, released in February 2026. She even accepted the Billboard Live Music Summit honor for Outstanding Pop Tour of the Year on November 10.
Needless to say, Hilary Duff is back and better than ever. Her last album before Luck… was Breathe In. Breathe Out. in 2015. In that time away she got married, had kids, and focused more on acting. But eventually, she felt ready to pursue music again, and longtime fans were ready to embrace her once more.
Speaking with Billboard in November 2026, Duff opened up about the entire experience. She spoke about starting a major tour for the first time in years, preparing herself by playing small theater shows first. Almost like a warm-up before launching the full-blown Lucky Me Tour. She also discussed why she left music at the height of her career.
Hilary Duff Admits Being Proud of Yourself is ‘Really Hard to Feel as an Adult’
Being back on tour has made Hilary Duff think back on her younger selves, she told Billboard. She speaks to Hilary Duff the Disney Channel child star, Hilary Duff the teenage pop sensation, and the 20-something Hilary Duff ready to step away from it all. Duff discussed these past identities as parts of herself she’d like to talk to, reassure, and comfort as an adult.
“It would just be really nice to go back and tell her that she figured it all out in a really healthy way, and that it’s on her terms,” she said, referring to her younger self. “There was a point where when you’re on a train that’s going so fast, it’s hard to stop it, and I didn’t even know why I wanted to stop it — I was just overwhelmed and done. It’s really hard to stop that at that age, and to have enough guts to just need to pause.”
Duff finally did pause, and for a long time, she said. She focused on her personal life, herself, and explored other career directions. Duff added, “And I think I would be really proud and be like, ‘Girl, you take a break and figure this out, and you go get an awesome family — [it will be a] roller coaster up and down sometimes, personally and professionally — but all that gets you to a really cool place.’”
She concluded, “This has just been such an epic year, a year filled with love, and I’m so proud. I’m really proud of myself, and that’s hard to feel as an adult.”
Photo by Dave Simpson/Getty Images
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