Dressed in all black, Hilary Duff looks totally edgy (not to mention super gorgeous) as the cover star of Elle Canada's December 2014 issue.

Now that Hilary is back with a new album (her first in seven years!) she’s back on the promo circuit and we couldn’t be more thrilled. In her 2014 cover interview with Elle Canada, Hilary dished on how it feels to to finally be back, the nerves that come with it and even about those pesky Aaron Carter tweets.

When asked how she knew that it was finally right for her to release a new album and return to music, Hilary said: "...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." She goes on to admit that it’s scary to be back, but she loves it too much to stay away (“This makes me really happy.”).

How have things changed since she was last in the spotlight? Hilary says she’s more relaxed, and really stresses the benefit of taking time off while she figured things out.

"It was a very confusing time," Hilary recalls. "It was a lot of pressure, and I became more content with myself when all the competition was gone and I could make choices for myself. I f—d up along the way too, but I got to do it quietly, which was awesome."

One of the not-so-great aspects of fame is, of course, constantly being monitored. Hilary's separation from her husband was difficult enough to deal with on its own, only to be made even worse once the media got hold of the information. She spoke candidly about how it felt, saying: “…some of the bigger struggles that came my way in the past two years—like my separation or when my parents separated—were the first times I had to deal with people knowing about something personal happening to my family. It just felt so invasive and insensitive. It got really gross, and I think part of you gets a bit desensitized.”

But music isn’t the only return Hilary’s making — she’s also starring in the new Darren Star show, ‘Younger’ where she plays a book editor who is "...strong-willed and ambitious, yet her personal life is kind of a hot mess because she’s submissive when it comes to men. It’s nice to be able to play a role that’s so different from me in my real life! I am not submissive at all."

Finally, no Hilary Duff interview would be complete without bringing up those infamous Aaron Carter tweets. Hilary was very diplomatic about it saying, "Oh, God, I feel so uncomfortable right now. I don’t know what to say. The more I talk about it, the more I think he’s going to talk about it. We were like 13 and 14.... I don’t want him to be hurt—I don’t want to make anyone feel like that—but it’s time to move on. I have.”

She goes on to say she kind of understands where he’s coming from, because those strong feelings you have for someone when you’re a teenager are kind of at peak intensity: "When you’re dating, you can never quite get that excitement again, because you’re never that age again.” We totally get it, Hilary.

Check out the full interview when it hits stores on Nov. 17!

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