Is Hilary Duff's Music Going In a New Direction?

On Wednesday, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran revealed that Hilary Duff’s upcoming new album has an “adult alternative acoustic sound.” Oh my stars. I have a lot of feelings about this news... and most of them are bad. Firstly, Sheeran is a tremendously talented songwriter, and I’m really glad that he worked on Duff’s new single, but doesn’t the phrase “adult alternative” just the leave the stalest, Shawn Colvin-iest taste in your mouth?

Don’t get me wrong — I love “Sunny Came Home” just as much as the next person — but Duff’s music career is defined by delicious teen-pop fluff like “So Yesterday,” “Come Clean,” “Wake Up,” and “With Love (among others). What makes her think that her diehard fans (of which, there are many) want to hear her try her hand at some acoustic, Sarah McLachlan-style snoozers?

Second, I realize that Duff is not a teenager anymore, but I want to be dancing to this new Duff music in front of the bathroom mirror, flipping my non-existent hair and making a lot of really bizarre facial expressions while I NAIL the epic vocal runs! I can’t do any of that stuff if Duff’s new single sounds like that dopey song Jack Johnson recorded for the Curious George movie! You know the one I’m talking about. Can you even imagine?

Fortunately, all hope is not lost. I will say that the term “adult alternative” encompasses a wide variety of artists and genres. I could be blowing this whole thing out of proportion. In fact, a rumored instrumental snippet of a new Duff song hit the Internet last week, and it actually sounds pretty cool.

Producer and former OneRepublic band member Jerrod Bettis, who has been pictured in the studio with Duff, originally posted the above snippet to his Instagram (it's since been deleted). If the clip actually turns out to be for Duff, I’ll be quite pleased. It sounds great. Check out that beat!

So, despite what Sheeran had to say, perhaps the Duffster’s return to the music scene won't be a boring, adult alternative disaster, after all. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. In the meantime, I’ll put on Duff’s fantastic cover of “Ours Lips Are Sealed” with her sister Haylie and wait.