At a time where pop princesses and boy bands dominated TRL, Willa Ford was decidedly “bad.” However, a “perfect storm” of circumstances led the singer to leave the music scene.

Ford’s single “I Wanna Be Bad” ruled the radio in summer 2001, then she seemed to disappear. In a new interview with Billboard, the now 36-year-old explained why her rise suddenly came to a halt.

“A lot of people don’t realize this, but my second single was released on September 11, 2001. Everything that happened that day froze; the world stood still, as it should have,” she said. “My second single didn’t do well because anything that launched that day kind of got canned.”

Ford’s record label was sold and the president left the company soon after, squashing the release of her sophomore album and leaving her career in a state of uncertainty.

Willa Ford pictured in 2001 at Z100’s “American Spirit” concert to thank the high school kids in the New York area who made a difference around the September 11th attacks. (Photo: KMazur/WireImage) More

“I really took a step back because I felt like I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing at the time,” the singer said. “I know that sounds crazy, but it was the perfect storm, and I walked away.”

Nowadays, Ford is working as an interior designer with some acting work on the side — she even starred as Anna Nicole Smith in a 2007 biopic. She’s also mom to son Elijah Everett Mandel with husband Ryan Nece.









However, she hasn’t completely ruled out a comeback in the music scene.

“When I look at Kylie Minogue, she did [her comeback] really right,” Ford said. “She did ‘Loco-Motion,’ she went away for 20 years — which is almost how long I’ve gone away — and then she comes back with this amazing dance-pop record. For me it was groundbreaking in the states.”

She continued, “I really do miss music. It’s my first passion, my first love.”



