Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff was a young, wide-eyed star when she debuted in the plucky tween Disney Channel comedy Lizzie McGuire, and her attitude since—particularly in music—has remained enduringly sincere. Her early hits like the pop-rock banger “Come Clean” and the uplifting jam “What Dreams Are Made Of” were reflections of pop music at its purest essence: carefree and fun. Born in Houston, Texas, in 1987, Duff and her sister and occasional collaborator, Haylie, had an interest in performing that led to a relocation in 1993 to California, where Duff’s Disney career would soon take off. Her second album, Metamorphosis, gave Duff’s label, Hollywood Records, its first major breakthrough, laying the groundwork for a parade of Disney starlets to release their own music on the label. Even as she grew up, Duff’s music stayed sweet and honest, whether it was through furious synth-pop on Dignity’s “Stranger” or a shimmering folk ode to short-term lovers on Breathe In. Breathe Out.’s “All About You”.