( CNN ) -- Hilary Duff says her new album is `` very positive '' but admits that it started out `` a lot heavier and a lot darker '' because of the separation from her husband , Mike Comrie . `` I 'm separated from my husband right now , which has been a very difficult thing to go through , '' she told Billboard 's `` Pop Shop '' podcast . `` In the beginning , the album was a lot heavier and a lot darker , because I had to get that out . Once I did get that out , a lot of fun came . '' Duff married Comrie , a former pro hockey player , in 2010 after dating for three years . Their son , Luca , was born in 2012 . Duff and Comrie announced their separation in January . Duff , 26 , admits that she 's `` nervous '' after being away from music for seven years . Her just-released single , `` Chasing the Sun , '' is from her still-untitled album , which will be her first studio release since 2007 's `` Dignity . '' She says she first started thinking of new material when she was pregnant with her son . After having the child and taking another year , she was even more anxious . `` I felt like I was missing a big part of myself , '' she said . Duff established a successful singing career on the heels of her popular Disney show , `` Lizzie McGuire , '' which aired from 2001 to 2004 . She spent most of her teenage years touring and says that turning 20 was a big factor in leaving the road . `` It was time for me to be a person , and the break just ended up being a long time , '' she said . One song on the album has to do with the loneliness she felt after being surrounded by dozens of people during her peak . Another song is a collaboration with Ed Sheeran . Duff is upbeat about her music 's prospects . `` It 's an exciting new journey for me , '' she said .
Mike Comrie says some songs on new album are very personal . She and husband Hilary Duff are separated . Hilary Duff 's forthcoming album is her first in another year .