Hilary Duff comes clean about her lyrics

LOS ANGELES - Hilary Duff is coming clean on a personal breakup in her new song “Stranger.”

And as “Access Hollywood ” found out when we visited the set of her new music video, she appears to be taking aim at her ex, Joel Madden.

“It was like therapy, you know. Just a total release of all the things you hold inside,” Hilary told “Access.”

In her new song, she sings, “If you can only see it like I do / Then they would see a stranger too / Did I ever do anything that was this cruel to you?”

But is she really targeting her ex? Maybe not, it turns out.

“I made it seem like this was a relationship that I was in, but it’s actually about my parents and about their relationship,” Hilary revealed. “But I didn’t want people to know that.”

Hilary’s parents separated in 2006, but “Stranger” isn’t the only song being defended by Duff.

The album’s title track “Dignity” has been rumored to be a dig at Joel Madden’s new girlfriend, Nicole Richie, with lyrics like, “Where’s your dignity / I think you lost it in the Hollywood hills.”

“It was not aimed at Nicole Richie at all,” Hilary insists. “When I found out that my ex-boyfriend was dating someone else, my record was already finished.”

Either way, the dance inspired “Dignity” (which Hilary mostly co-wrote) is her most revealing work yet.

“It’s really a relief, you know, just to be honest and let people know that I’m normal and have issues just like them,” she concluded.

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