GET READY HILARY DUFF IS GETTING HER NAILS DONE

With a new sound and fresh confidence, original teen queen Hilary Duff is all grown up and storming back into the spotlight.

and tweeting to fans at the same time, exposing the delicate tattoos that line the insides of her pale arms. She’s talking to Luca, her son with Canadian former NHL player Mike Comrie, as she gets ready for the cover shoot; he is teary after an early-morning flight to Toronto and a little bored of playing with toy cars. At 27, Duff has grown up a lot in the decade since she last appeared as Disney’s Lizzie McGuire. She was the clean teen queen who wore her platinum crown with a smile while her peers, like Lindsay Lohan, fell to their knees. The actress and singer crafted a multi-million-dollar clothing empire before Jessica Simpson sold her first pair of stacked heels. And then, exhausted and overextended, Duff stepped out of the blinding spotlight.

After a seven-year break, she’s releasing her fifth studio album this month. The heady mix of pop and folk, like the single “All About You,” which has already ripped through the charts, signals Duff’s re-entry into stardom. We sat down to talk to the crossover star about the growing up that happens after first loves, tattoos and fame.

Why was now the right time to release this album?

“When I decided to take a break, I was burned out and wanted to do smaller things that made me happy. Then I had Luca and was just sitting and reflecting on my journey; the thing I missed most about my old life was performing and being onstage. I didn’t really go into this thinking ‘Oh, this is going to be my big musical comeback.’ I just started writing and it started to feel good in my bones again.”

Is it nerve-racking to change gears after so many years?

“It is. I don’t need to work; I want to work. But I like to be successful, and it can’t be done half-assed in this industry. I feel guilty a little bit, but I know that I’m going to be the best mom when I’m a happy person, and this makes me really happy.”

Do you think your son is getting a sense of your fame?

“I think he’s starting to figure it out, but I don’t really know what he thinks h