Former Disney Child Star's 2026 Album Earns a Spot on Best New Albums List
Hilary Duff rose to fame in the 2000s on Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire. But unlike many other child stars, her career didn't end there. The 38-year-old performer released a new album in February, and it just snagged a spot on Rolling Stone's list of ‘The Best Albums of 2026 So Far.'
Duff's ‘Luck….Or Something' marks her musical comeback. While she hasn't exactly left the spotlight in the past few decades, this is the singer's first new album in over 10 years. After her three-year stint on the Disney Channel as the now-legendary Lizzie McGuire (from 2001 to 2004), Duff moved from TV to the big screen, starring in movies such as Cheaper By the Dozen and Cinderella Story.
The actress/musician eventually returned to television as an adult, starring in Younger with Sutton Foster and Hulu's How I Met Your Father.
The Evolution of Hilary Duff's Musical Career
While Duff's first musical release was a Christmas album in 2002 (‘Santa Claus Lane'), she soon followed with ‘Metamorphosis.' The 2003 album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned the artist four-times Platinum status. Reality TV fans know the record's breakout hit ‘Come Clean' as the title track for the opening credits of MTV's Laguna Beach.
She followed the chart-topper with 2004's self-titled album ‘Hilary Duff,' 2005's ‘Most Wanted,' and 2007's ‘Dignity.'
After taking a brief break, Duff returned to the music scene, releasing 2015's ‘Breath In. Breathe Out.'
Fast-forward 11 years, and she's back at it again. Rolling Stone recently ranked her latest endeavor as one of the best new albums of the year (that is, so far), calling it "the sparkly synth-pop surprise we didn't know we needed so badly."
Rolling Stone's review of ‘Luck….Or Something' continued, "The record, made with her husband Matthew Koma, offers a realistic and vulnerable glimpse at where her life is now - many years after Lizzie McGuire, ‘Come Clean,' and that ‘With Love' dance that became viral in the TikTok era."
The mom-of-four (she shares 14-year-old Luca Cruz Comrie with ex-husband Mike Comrie and seven-year-old Banks Violet Bair, five-year-old Mae James Bair, and two-year-old Townes Meadow Bair with husband Matthew Koma) opened up about her return to the music spotlight, sharing withVariety in 2025, "I never wanted to jump the gun and do something that didn't totally feel right."
The former child star also said of her comeback, "People have been following my career and having a connection, and I think I was just really ready to reintroduce myself to them."
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:25 AM.