Remember Jessica Rabbit's immortal catchphrase, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way?" Those eight words are the antithesis of what makes Willa Ford unique in the pop music universe. Because not only does the 22-year old Floridian refuse to pretend she's a goody two-shoes but, more importantly, she's no cartoon character. Willa Ford is a deceptively complex individual, firmly at the helm of her own career.

On her sophomore, yet-to-be-titled Lava full-length album, the singer reveals facets of her talent only hinted at on her 2001 debut Willa Was Here (featuring her smash hit "I Wanna Be Bad"). From the blazing lead single, the dancehall romp "A Toast To Men," and the sensual electronic throb of "Sexysexobsessive," to the Smashing Pumpkins-esque orchestral grandeur of "I See You" and the poetic "Pieces," Willa breaks plenty of new ground.

"I mix a lot more electronics and rock with my urban influences on this record, " she receals. Skeptics may cock an eyebrow when Willa cites nonconformist icons like Bjork and Radiohead among her favorite artists, but the more sophisticated grooves of her new effort substantiates those words of praise. "The arrangements on this new record are not normal," she admits. "There are lots of very strange harmonies, things that are trick for a normal person to pick out." Instead of hiring outside singers, Willa arranged and sang the backing vocals herself. "I do all the orchestrations myself, too. That way, nobody can take my sound...unless I arrange for them."

When Willa Ford talks about "her" sound, she means it literally. While other artists are content to rely on hired guns, Willa took charge of the making of the new labum, limiting herself to just two collaborators - Toby Gad (Sita, Jaci Velasquez) and Willa Was Here vet Eve Nelson - and working in small studios, maintaining an emphasis on refining her uniqe sonic identity. "Did I ask for producers who get $75,000 to produce a song? No. They get that money because they've created a sound, and it's their sound. I don't want their sound. Their sound is not going to help me grow as a person."

Willa began writing these songs while touring in support of Willa Was Here, working in a small mobile studio in the back of the bus. She took inspiration from a variety of sources; the salacious first single, "A Toast To Men" - featuring the rapid-fire patter of special guest May - borrows its infectious hook from a classica sorority chang. "It's an old toast in sororities," she explains. "Almost all sorority girls, from some day and age know it." It dawned on Willa that its four simple, spirited lines represented and eduring artifact of female empowerment that hadn't been grossly overexposed or grown dated. "It was something that was still real and contemporary, but women who were 40-years old could remember it, too."

On a different note, Willa also offers up "Who I Am," written from the point of view of somebody gay. "The song is basically saying, 'I'm sorry if I disappoint you, but this is who I am.' I'm not gay, but I have many friends that are, and I related to their experience in another sense, of being an outcast. Because somewhere in the course of my career, I got stuck in this little container, and became somebody that nobody truly understood."

Ah, yes. The reality of Willa Ford versus the myth. Contrary to rumor, Willa was no overnight sensation. Raised in a musical family, she began singing publicly in third grade, and by the age of 11 had gone professional. Nor is she the temperamental sexpot some miguided souls have made her out to be. Willa is simply a young woman who is not afraid of her sexuality ("I'm a healthy, 22-year old female. I'm not abstinent. Sue me.") or speaking her mind.

"It's funny. When people meet me, they often say, 'You're not what I expected.' What did they expect? Some diva bitch that stomps in and starts breaking things?" Wrong. That's not Willa. When it's time to work, she works hard. And, because of her youth and good looks, she works harder than most to gain the respect of her industry peers. "There are so many singers in my genre that are saying, 'I'm writing my material,' and they're contributing two lines. When I go in to write and record with other professionals, it's exciting to watch people change their mind about me."

A lot more people can expect to change their mind about Willa after they hear this album. Because this is the work of a seasoned performer coming into her own as a writer, as an artist. "There are a lot of people out there who love to just take direction from somebody else," she concludes. For Willa Ford, that would never suffice. "It took me a long time to create my sound, but this record was about proving that, musically, I stand alone. "Well then, that calls for another toast: To a job well done.

WILLA WAS HERE,’ the dynamic Lava/Atlantic debut from 21-year-old Willa Ford, is as smart and sexy as the talented young singer whose name it bears. Urban-influenced dancepop tracks such as ‘Ooh Ooh’ or ‘Prince Charming’ reveal an artist with extraordinary confidence, not to mention an enormously soulful and strong singing voice. ‘I'm about to break all the rules,’ she sings on the brash first single, ‘I Wanna Be Bad,’ and with her self-assured lyrics and irresistibly up-front persona, it's abundantly clear that Willa Ford is going to live up to her promise. ‘I'm not a cheerleader,’ she announces with pride. ‘I'm not trying to pretend to be sweet and then come out and be bad. This is who I am.’ A native Floridian, Willa was the youngest child of four in her family, and with her big voice and even-bigger personality, she was quite naturally the center of attention. ‘Ever since I could talk, I wanted to be a performer,’ she recalls. ‘I'd be in the middle of the living room, singing, and dancing, and doing somersaults.’

At 8, Willa began singing with the Tampa Bay Children's Choir and by the time she was 11, she had started her professional career, enlisting with the Tampa-based children's performing arts troupe, Entertainment Revue. The group, comprised of 20 girls, aged five to 16, would put on variety shows throughout the region, performing at fairs and conventions, as well as at Walt Disney World and Busch Gardens.

‘It was an amazing alternative to voice lessons and dancing lessons,’ Willa says. ‘I was able to learn my craft on stage, and now being on stage is just like being at home.’

Remarkably, Willa maintained honor student status as she continued to work with Entertainment Revue, where she eventually moved from the chorus into the role of featured soloist. At 15, she parted ways with the group to become one quarter of the short-lived vocal foursome called FLA. However, that outfit didn't last long and Willa was soon striking out on her own as a solo act.

‘I wanted it more than any of the other girls, I think,’ she says. ‘It was obvious that only the ones who were willing to sacrifice everything were going to make it.’

Ford made her way to Los Angeles, where she began her career in earnest. In 1999 she first garnered public attention via a tour with the Backstreet Boys, as well as with a track on Atlantic's double-platinum ‘POKÉMON THE FIRST MOVIE - MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE MOTION PICTURE.’

For her Lava/Atlantic debut, Willa teamed up with a diverse assortment of writers and producers, including labelmate DJ Skribble and his partner Anthony Acid, Travon Potts (Christina Aguilera, Public Announcement), KNS (Big Pun, Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz), Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson (Destiny's Child, Sisqo), Andy Marvel (Vitamin C, Celine Dion), Johnny Jam and Delgado (Ace of Base, Aqua), and renowned tunesmith Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Cher, Ricky Martin, Hanson). ‘It was great collaborating with these amazing people,’ Willa enthuses. ‘Like Desmond, who's just incredible! He sits there at the piano and you go back and forth, writing and exchanging ideas. The things I picked up from him!

‘With some of the other people, we would start with tracks,’ she continues. ‘They'd just give me a beat and I'd start singing melodies. Then I'd think of something that the music reminded me of or something I've gone through, and I'd start writing lyrics.’

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Willa is determined to pen most of her own lyrics, many of which exemplify her outspoken attitude. ‘I mostly come up with stories from my own life,’ she says, ‘but I also think about stuff my friends are going through. And sometimes I just make up a character that I want to be, like 'I Wanna Be Bad.'‘

That song - co-written with KNS, and produced by Brian & Josh - perfectly sums up Ford's tell-it-like-it-is worldview, though the songwriter is determined to insure that her words are not misunderstood. ‘People ask 'What kind of message are you sending?,'‘ Willa says, ‘and I'm only saying 'Be who you are.' It's not 'Go out and break things!' It's just screw what everybody else thinks. You can do your own thing, and tell people to shut up when they tell you you can't! It's really hard nowadays to be strong as a teenager, there's a lot going on, so I hope my song is an outlet for them.’

Willa's musical influences are as adventurous as she is, ranging from pop icons like Madonna and R&B favorites such as Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and Mary J. Blige, to jazz vocalists such as Basia. In addition, Willa credits a most-unlikely source as an important inspiration for her own eclectic music. ‘I love Radiohead,’ she enthuses. ‘They've influenced me in the weirdest way. The craziness of their music, and being able to be so left-field and yet find an audience, that's so amazing.’ Willa - who served as the spokesperson for Pantene Pro-V's ‘Pro-Voice’ campaign in 2001, as well as appeared on the nationally-syndicated in-concert cable special, Teensation! alongside some of her Atlantic labelmates has many credits under her belt. She's hosted a number of show and specials on MTV, served as both a host and judge for a handful of beauty projects, and landed a few acting roles with HBO's "Mind of the Married Man" and the WB's "Raising Dad". With ‘WILLA WAS HERE,’ this exciting new star stakes her claim in a big, big way. Get ready for more Willa!


Some info included in Willa's bio courtesy of WillaFord.com







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