Hilary Duff Has Complicated Feelings About "What Dreams Are Made Of"

The sound of a young Hilary Duff repeating “Hey now, hey now” will activate a nostalgic sleeper cell in every millennial, but Duff herself didn’t connect with one of her most iconic songs until more recently. The singer opened up about why “What Dreams Are Made Of” felt separated from her other early music, and even teased she may reclaim it on a potential tour as she makes her long-awaited pop-star return.

During her Nov. 6 appearance on the Therapuss podcast, host Jake Shane gushed over “What Dreams Are Made Of,” asking Duff if she immediately knew the call-and-response pop song was “amazing” when she was recording it. ““No. Very much no. Absolutely not,” Duff replied. “I don't even remember recording that song.”

Duff explained that while she does love the song now, she felt a detachment with it back when it was released in 2003 on the Lizzie McGuire Movie soundtrack. “It was a weird time, and it wasn't technically my song. It was a Lizzie McGuire song,” Duff said.

She revealed that she was barred from performing the song at her live shows due to Disney’s copyright. “There was such a separation back then of me and my music and Lizzie McGuire,” Duff said. “I didn't really get to perform that song live because I didn't own it.”

However, Duff emphasized that she gets “so much joy” from “What Dreams Are Made Of” now that its become so beloved by a generation. And as she plots her return to music with the released of her single “Mature,” which is her first song in a decade, Duff dropped a little hint that she may find a way to sing the 2003 track live once more very soon.

“If I would ever tour again, then I think I would maybe be allowed to manage to sing that song somehow, some way,” Duff teased. “Maybe. Just maybe, hypothetically.”

A Hilary Duff tour would be a pretty big deal, considering she hasn’t toured in nearly 20 years since her 2007 Dignity Tour. This really is what dreams are made of!