LYRICAL GANGSTA Duff, with Madden

At 19, Hilary Duff is old enough to write her own lyrics but young enough to think pouring the tabloid-ready details of her personal life into those lyrics is a good idea.

The Disney-bred pop star mined her breakup with Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden and his subsequent involvement with Nicole Richie for material on her new album, due out April 3.

The album's title is Dignity, and, really, what could be more dignified than publicly calling out the anorexic ex-junkie who stole your boyfriend? "Where's your dignity? I think you lost it in the Hollywood Hills," run lyrics on the title track. "Can't buy respect but you can pick up that bill."

A second verse drives the point home: "Always with Mr. Right, but then you have a fight / Run into your friend's ex, he's happy to be your next / Tomorrow's paper's coming out so kiss him fast, watch the cameras flash."

In another song, "Gypsy Woman," Duff upbraids her former flame for succumbing to a temptress. "She lets you think that you found her first / That's how she works her sick and twisted gypsy curse. / Talks with a grin 'cause she's got no shame / Enjoy the fame, bringing down the family name." (Richie's father is Lionel Still Famous in Libya Richie.)

The album's first song, "Stranger," is addressed to the same party, but in a more melancholy tone. "You treat me like a queen when we go out / Wanna show everyone what our love's about / All wrapped up in me whenever there's a crowd / But when no one's around there's no kindness in your eyes," she laments. She adds, "When I think of all the time we wasted, I could cry."

Asked whether the songs on Dignity were written specifically about the love triangle, Duff's spokeswoman replied, "Some are, yes. But she has gone through a lot, including a very frightening pair of Russian stalkers." That would be the subject of "Dreamer": "Don't you have better things to do with your life / Than hang around and stare at me and complicate mine?"

Photo: Splash News & Picture Agency