I’m at Sydney’s Afterpay Arena tonight to see Hilary Duff, and I’m feeling quite old. The last time I saw her was back in 2008, when I took my nine-year-old daughter along to see one of her favourite pop stars. My daughter is now all grown up, and I’m, well, a lot older too. Eighteen years later, here I am again, and judging by the crowd around me, I’m not the only one who’s come back for another dose of Hilary Duff.
Looking around the arena, it’s obvious that plenty of the people here grew up with Duff. They watched Lizzie McGuire, bought her albums and knew every word to So Yesterday and Come Clean. Now they’re in their twenties and thirties, back to see the woman who was such a big part of their childhood. There are also plenty of younger kids here, which suggests Duff is picking up a whole new generation of fans along the way.
Before Duff even appears, Mexican waves are making their way around the arena, and the crowd is up dancing to The Veronicas. There’s a real party atmosphere building, with thousands of people clearly thrilled to be here. By the time Duff is due onstage, the place is buzzing.
When she finally appears, looking beautiful in blue jeans and a blue top, the reception says everything. There’s something wonderfully unpretentious about her appearance. No elaborate outfit is needed to make an impression, just Hilary Duff, looking fantastic and clearly delighted to be back in front of an Australian audience.
Duff first became a household name playing the title character in Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire, a show that made her one of the most recognisable young stars on television. But she wasn’t content to stop there. In 2003, she released Metamorphosis, an album that went four-times platinum in the US and gave us hits including So Yesterday and Come Clean.
Her self-titled album followed in 2004, and by the time Dignity arrived in 2007, she was moving into a more grown-up dance-pop sound. Those three albums alone sold around 15 million copies worldwide, putting her firmly among the biggest pop stars of the decade.
What makes Duff interesting is that she’s managed to build a career without constantly chasing the spotlight. Alongside the music, she’s continued acting, including a successful run in the television series Younger, and has worked as an author, producer and entrepreneur. She’s also taken time away from recording, with her last studio album, Breathe In. Breathe Out., arriving back in 2015.
Duff’s return to music is already well underway. After signing with Atlantic Records, she released Mature in November 2025, followed by Roommates in January 2026. Both tracks feature on her new album, Luck… or Something, which arrived on 20 February 2026, marking her first studio album in more than a decade. Tonight it is Sydney’s turn to experience the Lucky Me Tour, a seven-country run that includes some of the world’s biggest venues, from Madison Square Garden to London’s O2 Arena. It’s a pretty impressive return for someone who has spent more than a decade away from releasing new music.
Hilary Duff has certainly come a long way since Lizzie McGuire, but the connection with her fans is clearly as strong as ever. And with a whole new generation joining the party, there’s every reason to think she’ll be filling arenas for years to come.
Images Deb Pelser
Hilary Duff will visit Melbourne and Perth next, tickets HERE.
