In the blonde popstar era of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson there was a lesser known songstress, Willa Ford. She had one hit, “I Wanna Be Bad” in 2001 but then she seemingly disappeared from the music industry.

The 37-year-old mother now explains that she partially blames the tragic 9/11 attacks on her career hitting a sour note.

Ford revealed to Billboard Magazine why her once promising pop career fizzled in an interview this month.

“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. My second single didn’t do well because anything that launched that day kind of got canned.”

She decided to leave the music industry and focus on other aspects of her life.

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

Returning to the entertainment industry may be in the future for Ford.

“It’s harder than it sounds though. I have a family now, so it’s something that I need to have the support of my husband, and I have a child now. It’s one of those things I’ve been thinking about, and when it’s time, I’ll reach out to the right producers. I think I want to create the record on my own without a record company,” she explained.

For now, Ford works as an interior decorator.

“I just needed another outlet. I started doing it for friends and everyone was loving what I was doing. It was word of mouth. I did a movie, and the producer of the movie asked me to work on their home,” said the Los Angeles based designer. “Before I knew it, I was doing really high-end homes. Now I have three employees and myself with the new firm. It’s constantly changing and growing. I love it.”