Credit: DisneyThe connection between Disney Channel stars and their audiences is incredibly powerful, as these performers often become part of childhood memories. Hilary Duff is a prime example, having starred as Lizzie McGuire from 2001 to 2004, becoming a cultural icon for many during that era. Her character resonated with kids navigating middle school, while her music, especially the album Metamorphosis, produced hits like “So Yesterday” and “Come Clean.”
After stepping back to focus on her family and various acting projects, Duff’s long absence from music heightened the significance of her recent return, marking a heartfelt reunion with fans who grew up with her.
The Small Rooms Big Nerves Tour Launches
Hilary Duff is currently on her first tour in over a decade, promoting her new album titled luck or something. The Small Rooms Big Nerves Tour kicked off in London on January 19, 2026, and tickets have been nearly impossible to secure due to overwhelming demand from fans eager to see Duff perform after such a long hiatus.
The setlist for the tour spans Duff’s entire musical career, including classic hits from her Disney Channel era alongside new tracks from the upcoming album. Songs like “Wake Up,” “So Yesterday,” “Metamorphosis,” “Fly,” “Come Clean,” and “Why Not” give longtime fans the nostalgia they’re craving, while newer material like “Roommates,” “Weather for Tennis,” and “We Don’t Talk” showcase Duff’s evolution as an artist over the past two decades.
The Historic “What Dreams Are Made Of” Performance
The most significant moment of the London show came when Duff closed her set with a surprise that sent fans into a state of absolute chaos. For the first time ever in her career, Hilary Duff performed “What Dreams Are Made Of,” the iconic song from The Lizzie McGuire Movie that has maintained a massive presence in pop culture, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok.
The fact that Duff had never performed this song live before, despite it being one of her most recognizable and beloved hits, made the moment even more special. Adorned in a beige bodysuit that only a full-fledged pop star could pull off, Duff delivered the performance fans had been waiting nearly 23 years to witness.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie spawned two major hits for Duff. “Why Not?” was featured on her debut album Metamorphosis and became a staple of her early performances. But “What Dreams Are Made Of” occupied a different space in the cultural zeitgeist. The song, performed in the movie by both Duff and her character’s Italian pop star doppelganger, Isabella, became synonymous with the film’s climactic Rome concert scene, where Lizzie finally gets her moment in the spotlight after Paolo’s betrayal is exposed.
Why This Song Matters So Much to Disney Channel Fans
“What Dreams Are Made Of” represents more than just a catchy pop song from a Disney Channel movie. For the generation that grew up with Lizzie McGuire, it encapsulates a specific feeling of possibility and transformation that the character embodied. Lizzie was never the most popular girl, the most talented, or the most confident. She was awkward, uncertain, and relatable in ways that made her feel like someone viewers actually knew rather than an idealized Disney creation.
The Rome concert scene, where she performs “What Dreams Are Made Of,” is Lizzie’s triumph, the moment where the ordinary middle schooler who never quite fit in gets to be extraordinary. That resonance has kept the song alive in pop culture long after The Lizzie McGuire Movie left theaters. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, have given the song new life as users create content referencing the film, lip-syncing to the track, and keeping the Paolo memes alive.
The fact that Duff chose to finally perform this song now, on her first tour in over a decade, demonstrates her understanding of what it means to her fanbase. This wasn’t just adding a hit to the setlist. It was acknowledging the connection between her Disney Channel past and her present, honoring the generation that grew up with her and never stopped wanting to sing along to this particular song.
The Loyal Disney Channel Fanbase Remains
What makes Duff’s return to music particularly striking is the evidence that her core fanbase never really left. Despite the 18-year gap between major musical projects, fans showed up ready to make ticket purchases nearly impossible, resulting in sold-out shows across the tour. The Small Rooms Big Nerves Tour continues through February with stops in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Toronto.
This loyalty speaks to something deeper than just nostalgia for childhood entertainment. The generation that grew up with Lizzie McGuire is now in their late twenties and thirties, old enough to have disposable income for concert tickets and the perspective to appreciate what Duff’s work meant to them during formative years. They’re not trying to relive their childhood. They’re celebrating an artist who shaped their youth and is now creating new work while honoring that shared history.
Celebrating 25 Years of Lizzie McGuire
The timing of Duff’s tour coincides with the 25th anniversary of Lizzie McGuire, which originally premiered in January 2001. For fans looking to revisit the Disney Channel magic, both the series and The Lizzie McGuire Movie are currently streaming on Disney+, allowing new generations to discover why Lizzie became such an enduring character.
The fact that Duff is touring, releasing new music, and finally performing “What Dreams Are Made Of” during this anniversary year creates a full-circle moment that feels intentional and meaningful. Paolo could never.