We Don't Talk

Album: Luck... or Something (2026)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • For most of their lives, Hilary and Haylie Duff were inseparable. When they were child actors navigating Hollywood together, Haylie guested on Hilary's Disney comedy series Lizzie McGuire; voiced Isabella in The Lizzie McGuire Movie and co-starred with Hilary in Material Girls. Publicly, they were the poster children for sisterhood, a team that could do red carpets, playdates, and brand events with equal aplomb, all while building a little village of shared motherhood.

    But adulthood complicated things. Around the time of Hilary's 2019 wedding to Matthew Koma, cracks appeared, and the sisters became estranged. "We Don't Talk" is Hilary's candid, mid-tempo ballad confronting the weird, dizzying reality of that loss.
  • Duff confronts how disorienting it feels when people ask about Haylie and she realizes she no longer knows the answers, circling back to the plain, painful refrain that "we don't talk" anymore. In an interview with CBS Mornings the singer-actress said, "Absolutely the most lonely part of my existence is not having my sister in my life at the moment."

    It's reminiscent of other sibling estrangement songs like Rufus Wainwright's "Martha," that mix of private pain and public reflection.
  • "We Don't Talk" appears on Duff's 2026 album Luck… or Something as one of the project's most personal, emotionally raw tracks, expanding the album's theme of grown-up relationships beyond romance into family bonds.

    Duff wrestled with whether to include such a raw song on the album but decided to do so after realizing that "so many people" have had similar fallings-out with siblings. "It's my truth," Duff explained. "It was honestly healing to say. It's hard to watch your life unfold on the internet sometimes with talking heads on TikTok speculating... sometimes they're wrong, and sometimes they're right. All of that is a crazy thing to process."
  • Duff co-wrote the song with her husband Matthew Koma and with Dan Book (Hot Chelle Ray's "I Like It Like That," Blink-182's "Dance With Me").
  • Production was handled by Koma and Ben Phillips, Hilary's ongoing collaborators throughout Luck… or Something. They let the confessional lyrics sit front and center over an understated arrangement.
  • Duff debuted the song live in London in January 2026 ahead of the album's release, making it one of the first new tracks fans heard from her comeback era and immediately fueling speculation about its subject.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Scott Stapp

Scott StappSongwriter Interviews

The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.