Hilary Duff Plots Her Pop Comeback — and Other ’00s TV Icons-Turned-Singers Might Want to Pay Attention
By Website Content Manager
With Duff teasing “new music … or something,” stars like Lindsay Lohan, Vanessa Hudgens, and other early-’00s pop alums might want to start lining up studio sessions of their own.
“Let’s go back, back to the beginning,” Hilary Duff once sang on her hit “Come Clean.” Now, more than 20 years later, she seems to be following her own lyric.
Duff was just a teen when the track appeared on her second album Metamorphosis, a record that kicked off a pop career spanning four albums. While she became a household name as the lovable Lizzie McGuire on Disney Channel, Duff also conquered radio with infectious singles that made her a pop staple of the early 2000s. As a ’90s kid just a few years younger, I was hooked.
Her last project, Breathe In. Breathe Out. (2015), didn’t hit the same commercial highs as earlier releases, but it developed a loyal cult following online. After that, she largely set music aside to focus on acting and raising her children. But on Sept. 9, the 37-year-old mother of four confirmed she’s stepping back into the studio.
To me, this feels like a pop revival moment.
Through an Instagram post cheekily captioned “new music … or something,” Duff hinted that she’s been recording again, likely with the help of her husband, songwriter-producer Matthew Koma — the creative force behind hits like Zedd’s “Clarity.” With someone like that at home, it’s safe to say her comeback tracks could pack a punch.
But Duff isn’t the only early-2000s TV alum who could make a splash with a music return.
Lindsay Lohan joined the wave with her 2004 debut Speak. That same year, Raven-Symoné released her most successful record This Is My Time. Disney Channel’s High School Musical opened the door for Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale to drop albums in 2006 and 2007.
It was a golden window in pop when nearly anyone with TV fame — or a famous relative — could land a record deal. Labels weren’t fixated on credibility; they wanted hits. And for a while, the industry was wide open to anyone willing to step into the studio.
Ashlee Simpson was introduced to fans as Jessica’s edgier sister through The Ashlee Simpson Show, which doubled as a launchpad for her debut Autobiography. Paris Hilton recorded a playful self-titled album between seasons of The Simple Life. Brooke Hogan balanced reality TV and music, delivering “About Us” with a high-budget video fit for peak Britney Spears.
Even younger siblings got in on the action. Jamie Lynn Spears performed “Follow Me” — co-written and backed by Britney herself — for her show Zoey 101. And yes, Kim Kardashian even tried her hand at music, releasing “Jam (Turn It Up)” in 2011 before leaving pop behind for good.
Critics often dismissed this wave as nepotism, favoritism, or labels cashing in on built-in fan bases. But here’s the truth: these stars created undeniable bops. Not all were chart-toppers like Duff, but tracks such as Lohan’s “Rumors” or Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind” still hold up. And who can hear Hudgens launch into “Sneakernight” without cracking a smile? These songs captured the carefree, joyful spirit that makes pop music timeless.
Most importantly, Duff and her peers paved the way for the next generation of child actors turned pop stars — from Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez to Demi Lovato, and more recently, TikTok talents like Addison Rae. For that alone, these once-underestimated pop experiments deserve their flowers.