That time, it seems, is now: The 38-year-old actor’s new single, “Adult,” marks his first release under a recent deal with Atlantic Records. Duff describes the sparkling pop-rock track. A collaboration between Duff, Koma and Madison Love, who has written hits for everyone from Lady Gaga to Addison Raw.
The lyrics find Duff reflecting on the past with an old lover: “She looks like she could be your daughter, like me like mine,” she sings on the chorus, “when I was happy to hear you say: Babe, you are very wise for your age.
“It’s definitely about a brief experience I had a long time ago,” Duff said, choosing her words carefully. “It was very therapeutic to write about things that normal conversation doesn’t really give you a chance to.”
The music video for “Adult” sees Duff seated in another empty theater, watching a version of herself perform on stage. She describes it as a “slightly meta” interpretation of the lyrics, which begs the question if she’s being her authentic self in past relationships, or just presenting a version of what men expect.
Duff took the opportunity to slip into “pop star mode” once again for the visual. “There was some muscle memory,” she says. “There’s a part of me that stepped up, grabbed the microphone, and was like, Ok, I know what I’m doing here.
Photo: Aaron Idelson
Photo: Aaron Idelson
After years of watching fans beg for music in his Instagram comments, Duff certainly felt the weight of their expectations. Plus there was the matter of navigating a pop ecosystem in mind that looked so different than it did coming of age.
“Adult” proved a perfect re-entry point, pushing Duff’s sound in new directions while still having an arguably Hilary feel. The guitar-forward production could just as easily live on an Olivia Rodrigo album like MetamorphosisDuff’s early-and-magnum opus that spawned hits like “To Kal” and “Saaf Sathra.” But Duff is no longer the 16-year-old running into the recording studio during breaks Lizzie McGuireAnd she wants her new music to reflect that.
“I have the honor and the joy of bringing meaning and happiness to so many people during a special time in their lives,” she says. “But I’m ready to meet them again as I am now.”
