Hilary Duff Reveals Why She Declared ‘I’m Going to Be a Pop Star’ After ‘Lizzie McGuire’

Hilary Duff didn’t just stumble into the world of pop stardom after becoming a Disney Channel star.

She says she actively pursued music as a way to move beyond her beloved television persona.

During a conversation with Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show , Duff ruminated on the complicated experience of growing up in the public eye and being forever associated with Lizzie McGuire, the titular character she played on the Disney Channel series from 2001 to 2004.

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“I think that was why I became — I wanted to be a pop star,” Duff said.

“You know, the second I finished filming Lizzie, I was like, ‘Cool.

I don’t want to be called that anymore.’ And I’m going to be — I’m going to make music and I’m going to get a record deal and I’m going to be a pop star.” “And you did,” Barrymore replied.

“I did,” Duff said.

Duff’s transition from Disney star to recording artist quickly became one of the defining chapters of her early career.

Her 2003 album Metamorphosis peaked at No.

1 on the Billboard 200 , making Duff a chart-topping pop artist while she was still in her teens.

Her 2005 compilation Most Wanted also reached No.

1, and to this day, she’s had seven songs hit the Billboard Hot 100 .

Duff says the transition wasn’t necessarily as simple emotionally as it might have looked from the outside.