Hilary Duff addresses rumors about her first original song in a decade

Hilary Duff has opened up about the inspiration behind her new single “Mature,” revealing it reflects a brief relationship with someone older that she describes as “not illegal” but “inappropriate.”

In a cover story for Glamour published Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 38-year-old singer and actress said the song is a reflection on a past experience. 

“It’s definitely about a relationship that I had. It was very brief with someone older than me, and that was not illegal, but inappropriate when you have this much time removed from it,” Duff told the magazine.

She acknowledged public speculation about the song’s subject, saying, “Everybody speculates, but I’m not sure they got it right… I think that it’s super nuanced and it’s hard to defend certain things that have happened in my life.” 

Duff added that starting her career as a child made it difficult to form relationships with people her own age. 

“Working as an adult since I was 10 years old, it’s very hard to have relationships with people your own age,” she explained.

Duff also teased that she is keeping the details private: “If I wanted to say who [the song was about], I would.”

Released in November 2025, “Mature” marked Duff’s first original single in a decade, following her 2015 album Breathe In. Breathe Out. 

The song, co-written and produced by her husband Matthew Koma, is framed as a conversation between her present self and her younger self, reflecting on the experience with gratitude and humor. 

“The two of us are reflecting on a past experience and sending love to each other. It’s a chuckle, a wink and a sense of being grateful that we are sure footed in where we landed,” she said.

Following the release, speculation swirled that the song referred to Leonardo DiCaprio, fueled by the lyric, “very Leo of you with your Scorpio touch,” and a playful meme shared by Koma. 

Duff addressed the rumors in a later interview with Ryan Seacrest, calling the speculation “thrilling” and emphasizing that her husband is “the biggest troll on the planet Earth” who enjoys leading fans down “all the roads.” She concluded, “I’m not confirming, not denying anything here.”