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Hilary Duff Says She "Desperately Wanted and Needed" Her Seven-Year Break From Music

The singer tells us what sparked her interest in returning to the radio.

This is a great week for Hilary Duff fans.

The 27-year-old singer dropped her fifth studio album Breathe In. Breathe Out. on Tuesday, her first LP since 2007's electro-tastic Dignity. And it's clear she's having more fun than ever with her new music. (Just listen to one of the record's tracks, "One in a Million," and you'll understand exactly what we're talking about.)

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However, her upbeat attitude toward music comes after a long break that, according to Hilary, was much needed. (Why she needed a breather — no pun intended — we're not exactly sure.)

"From before, I so desperately wanted and needed a break from all of it," Hilary told us when we caught up with her earlier this week. "And I knew [music] was 'gonna be a part of my life again. I just wasn't sure when."

She found her answer over the past two years. All of the changes going on in the Younger star's life, including giving birth to son Luca, piqued her interest again in making some new tunes.

"It was a natural kind of, like, progression. I had had a baby and was, like, a year and a half into being a new mom, and I started writing a lot. And I think that sparked the idea of, like, 'I 'wanna start getting back into the studio and writing more.' Ya know? 'I wanna make a record!' And it just kind of happened."

HilHil says she was "feeling inspired" during this time and started having "things to say," which made her realize this was the right time to come back to the radio. Cheers to that!

Breathe In. Breathe Out. is now available on iTunes.