Dignity (album)

Dignity (album)

Dignity is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Hilary Duff. The album was released on April 3, 2007 by Hollywood Records. Between the releases of her previous studio album, Hilary Duff (2004) and this album, Duff had an eventful personal life; she was stalked by a man who threatened her life, her parents separated and she broke up with her boyfriend. Instead of mainly selecting songs and only writing a few, as she did with her previous records, she contributed to the writing of all but one song, and often collaborated with songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who had previously written for her.

Duff was musically inspired by indie rock band The Faint and pop singers Beyoncé Knowles and Gwen Stefani. In contrast to the pop rock themes of her prior releases, Dignity takes on more of a dance sound, which she said was not her intention while writing the album. The lyrics reference the events Duff experienced in the years leading to the album's release, and the album's songs contain influences of rock and roll and hip hop music.

Critical response was mostly positive; the album was praised for its songwriting and her new musical direction. Upon release, Dignity debuted at number three in the US, a lower peak than Duff's previous albums and with lower sales, which Billboard attributed to the loss of fans during her musical evolution. Despite the relatively poor performance of the album, it produced Duff's highest-peaking US single to date, "With Love" (number 24), and two US number one club hits. The album has reached the top ten in several countries and was certified Gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).