Hilary Duff: "I'd Rather Sing Off Key Than Mime"  8/15/05

American singer Hilary Duff refuses to mime on her current Most Wanted tour because it ruins the spontaneity of music but insists she respects fellow pop babe Britney Spears' obvious lip-synching.

The So Yesterday star understands how hard it is to sing perfectly while vigorously dancing, but has no qualms herself about hitting a wrong note or forgetting her words, because she believes music comes first.

She says, "I try as best I can to sing. It's about the music. If you miss a couple of notes, who cares?

"I think it's cool to mess up or be out of breath or not finish your whole verse. It's real.

"When you're Britney Spears and you're dancing a perfect choreographed show and you're changing outfits nine times, then it becomes not so much about the music.

"She's out of breath and dancing and running around. But it's about a performance, and that's fine."