With the sexy choreography, leather corset, and hot-rod scenes in her "I Wanna Be Bad" video, WIlla Ford proved she's no Mouseketeer. The youngest of four siblings, Willa, now 20, began singing at age 5 and by the time she was 15, she ditched her local vocal goup in Tamp, FL, to strike out on her own. She was originally signed to MCA under her real name, Amanda Williford, and even toured with the Backstreet Boys, btu she didn't make it big until last April's release of Willa Was Here on LAVA?Atlantic. The album (and her anti-pop attitude) got a whole lot of TRL hype - her single ended up at #11 on its End of Summer Countdown, which she co-hosted with Carson Daly. So can we finally get over the fact that she's Nick Carter's ex-girlfriend?

When Fame Saved Her From Oxygen Deficiency:
"The moment I saw myself on TRL. That's the first time I thought, Okay, I can breathe now."

Why She Quit Opera Singing:
"Having a vocal teacher telling you not to talk on the phone is not something you're really into in high school," says Willa, who trained as an opera singer for four years.

Her Favorite Aria:
"Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Seno" from La Molinara. "It's about this girl who's tring to get the attention of this guy. Girls always have the same problems, no matter what time period."

Last Seen Driving Boys Insane:
"I had a bottle of water onstage and these foud guys were like, 'Give it to us!' So I did, and they started tackling each other to drink out of it. It was really gross. They were like a big pretzel, all groping each other so hard."

Might Be Stocking Up On Manic Panic in 2002:
"I'm headed in a goth vibe. In New York, I got this silver ring that takes up my whole finger. It totally rocks."