If you ever wanted to know who is on your favorite singer's playlist, or what albums inspired the latest “it girl” the most, tune in for Marie Claire’s resident music franchise Listen Up. In this interview series, we ask musicians about their listening habits and the specific records that informed their taste—and inherently their journey as an artist.
Hilary Duff has done what few other teen stars have: achieved staying power. It’s not lost on her that her ‘00s pop hits and beloved tv and film roles raised a generation—and even as she took a decade-long break from music, that fans have always been eager to hear more.
Now, Duff is ready to soundtrack the next era of her listeners’s lives. On February 20, the singer/actress released luck… or something, her sixth studio album and first LP since 2015’s Breath In. Breath Out. Duff, 38, tells Marie Claire over Zoom she’s “honored” that she’s been able to reintroduce herself as a musician in an industry that tends to disregard female artists after a certain age. “I’m completely moved and ecstatic that I still get to come to play.”
Having lived a lot of life since the last time she was in the studio, Duff explains it was important to the hitmaker that she “make a record about someone in their 30s.” For the project, she also worked with her husband, music producer Matthew Koma; it allowed her to feel more empowered to speak up about her artistic vision in a way she didn’t always in the past.
Together, they created Duff’s most confessional work to date. “It was very cathartic to make this record, but also at the same time, I cared a lot less about, Oh, what’s the outside world going to think about this?, and I think that just comes with age.”
“It has an emotional depth, but it's disguised as fun,” she adds of the glistening, ‘80s-homage tracks. “I think that really sums up what the mission was, and what I'm drawn to in my musical taste, anyway.”
With luck… or something out now (and a highly anticipated tour on the way), Duff tells Marie Claire all about that taste, from the singer-songwriter who still leaves her starstruck to the Gen Z pop star she and her kids can agree is great.
The first time I lyrically paid attention to something—and it took over my brain—was Jagged Little Pill [by Alanis Morissette].
Spiceworld [by the Spice Girls].
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac is a 100 percent perfect album. And then Tragic Kingdom [by No Doubt]. I remember being in my childhood bedroom and making up dances with friends to “I'm Just a Girl.”
Well, I did get to experience—but if I could place my adult self in it—all the way through the ‘90s into early 2000s. Third Eye Blind, Semisonic, R.E.M.—I would love to be back in that time as a young adult.
Maybe I should form a side project, like a grungy girl group. See if Sabrina Carpenter wants in. It's like the dirty “Lady Marmalade.” Less polished, more grunge.
Taylor Swift. She’s the one who leveled up the game for me for live shows. The Eras Tour was so sick.
I'm on Taylor Swift's mailer list, so I get all of her mailer merch. I'm always really excited about it. I would like to stay on that list and continue racking my little Taylor corner in my closet.
I have to say Alanis. She's the epitome of the coolest for me.
I was actually at a Taylor show in a "Taylor Tent," and I was in there with Alanis. It was like the restaurant brought me all the desserts for free. It was insane. I was so distracted because I was in there with Alanis. She’s queen.
We're going to head on back to the '80s. It's really random—and it's not even like it connects with me so much—but I could just listen to it over and over and over and over again. It's just the feeling of it. Paul Simon's song “You Can Call Me Al.”
Also, anything on Rumours. “Everywhere” [off Tango in the Night]—I fucking love that song. It's pretty simple, but it's so beautiful.
Tapestry [by Carole King].
I'm either listening to legit yacht rock or hip-hop.
If I'm with friends, one of my friends is a hip-hop queen, so it's a lot of Saweetie and Latto. We'll listen to that, and I will listen to “MMMBop” radio. Or dead silence.
Unfortunately, my kids dominate the radio. So Mae-Mae, my 4-year-old, is deep on Kpop Demon Hunters. And Banks wants to listen to Harry Styles. Then my son, Luca, wants to listen to Lil Tecca and Kendrick [Lamar]. They all know a lot.
Any chance I get will be ‘90s, or we all can agree on Olivia Dean for a few tracks. I love her fully, but Mae-Mae thinks the beginning of “Man I Need” where she’s like, “Talk to me / Talk to me,” is “Sesame / Sesame.” I live for that.
My husband, Matt, has insane musical taste. He's more like Bruce Springsteen, Brandon Flowers is one of his heroes, and Dawes. So Mae-Mae will also be like, “Dawes is my favorite band.” And I'm like, “I think Dawes is Daddy's favorite band, and he's driving you somehow to say that, but that's fine.”
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
