Willa Ford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willa Ford
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Willa Ford
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amanda Lee Williford |
| Born | January 22, 1981 |
| Genres | Pop, dance-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, presenter, actress, interior designer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | MCA Lava/Atlantic |
| Associated acts | |
Willa Ford, born Amanda Lee Williford on January 22, 1981, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is also a dancer, model, and TV personality. Willa released her first album, Willa Was Here, in 2001. She has also been in movies like Friday the 13th. Willa has hosted many reality TV shows and was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Willa Ford grew up in Ruskin, Florida. She started singing with the Tampa Bay Children's Choir when she was eight years old. At age 11, she joined a children's performing arts group called Entertainment Revue. She went to East Bay High School in Gibsonton, Florida.
Music Career Highlights
Starting Out in Music
In 1999, when she was 18, Willa Ford began performing as "Mandah." She signed with MCA records. Later, she moved to Atlantic Records. One of her songs, "Lullaby," was even featured on the soundtrack for Pokémon: The First Movie. Willa changed her stage name to Willa Ford to avoid being confused with another singer, Mandy Moore.
Touring and First Album
In 2000, Willa Ford was an opening act for the Backstreet Boys on their "Into the Millennium" tour. In 2001, she signed with Lava Atlantic Records. She wrote most of the songs for her first album and helped produce it.
On July 17, 2001, Willa released her debut album, Willa Was Here. The album included her popular single "I Wanna Be Bad" which featured rapper Royce da 5'9". Willa Was Here reached number 56 on the Billboard 200 chart. She released another song from the album, "Did Ya' Understand That," but it did not get much attention.
Other Music Projects
Willa Ford was a spokesperson for Pantene Pro-V's ProVoice campaign. She also appeared in Uncle Kracker's music video for "In A Little While." Willa also co-wrote and recorded a song called "Nastified" with South Korean pop star Park Ji-yoon in 2001.
In 2003, she released a song called "A Toast to Men," which featured rapper Lady May. Later, in 2010, she released "All This Time" online, working with Riley Smith. In 2011, Willa performed at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, singing her first solo song since 2003, "Back Back Back." In 2014, she was featured in the song "Rock Tonight."
Television, Film, and Other Appearances
Early TV and Hosting Roles
In 2002, Willa Ford appeared in an episode of the TV show Raising Dad. In 2005, she hosted the first season of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. After that, she performed as a guest dancer for The Pussycat Dolls' shows in Las Vegas.
Dancing with the Stars and More TV
In 2006, Willa competed on the third season of Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, were eliminated in the fifth week.
Willa also hosted the third season of Pants-Off Dance-Off on Fuse TV. In 2007, she and her husband at the time, hockey player Mike Modano, showed their home on an episode of MTV Cribs.
Film Roles
Willa Ford appeared in the 2009 horror film Friday the 13th. She also played Becca in the movie Universal Squadrons, which was shown in 2010.
In 2011, she appeared in an episode of The Glades. In 2012, she was in four episodes of Magic City and an episode of Leverage. In 2014, it was announced she was working on several films, including Submerged, Any Day, The Nurse, and Checkmate.
In 2019, Willa Ford appeared on the E! reality show Flip It Like Disick.
Personal Life
Willa Ford married hockey player Mike Modano on August 25, 2007. In August 2012, they announced they were getting divorced.
In April 2015, Willa married former NFL football player Ryan Nece. In March 2016, they announced they were expecting their first child. Their son was born on September 7, 2016.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peaks |
|---|---|---|
| US |
||
| Willa Was Here | 56 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US Dance |
US Sales |
US Pop |
US Top 40 |
US R&R |
AUS |
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| 2001 | "I Wanna Be Bad" | 22 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 52 | Willa Was Here |
| "Did Ya' Understand That" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Santa Baby (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | MTV: TRL Christmas | |
| 2003 | "A Toast to Men" (featuring Lady May) |
— | 11 | 45 | — | — | 46 | — | Non-album singles |
Filmography
Film Roles
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Anna Nicole Smith Story | Anna Nicole Smith | |
| 2008 | Impulse | Claire Dennison | |
| 2009 | Friday the 13th | Chelsea | |
| 2011 | Universal Squadrons | Becca | |
| 2014 | The Nurse | Lynette | |
| 2015 | Any Day | Cherry | |
| Checkmate | Sasha | ||
| 2016 | A Father's Secret/Hunt For Truth | Kerry Evans | TV film. Entitled Enquête sécrète in France. |
| Submerged | Carla |
Television Appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Mind of the Married Man | Popstar | |
| 2002 | I Bet You Will | Host | |
| Raising Dad | Edie | ||
| The Morning After | Host | ||
| Miss Teen USA | Host | ||
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest appearance | |
| 2005 | The Ultimate Fighter | Host | |
| 2006 | Lingerie Bowl III | Celebrity Quarterback for the Dallas Desire | |
| Calvin Ayre WildCard Poker | Player | ||
| Dancing with the Stars | Celebrity Dancer | ||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest appearance | ||
| Live with Regis and Kelly | Guest appearance | ||
| 2007 | Pants Off Dance Off | Host | |
| Red Eye | Guest Appearance | ||
| MTV Cribs | Introduced her home | ||
| My Celebrity Home | Introduced her home | ||
| 2010 | Chelsea Lately | Guest appearance | |
| 2011 | The Glades | Shelby Adams | Episode: "'shine" |
| 2012 | Magic City | Janice Michaels | 4 episodes |
| Leverage | Tabatha Delavega | Episode: "The Low Low Price Job" | |
| 2019 | Flip It Like Disick | Herself |
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "I Wanna Be Bad" | Herself |
| "Did Ya' Understand That" | ||
| "Santa Baby (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme)" | ||
| 2002 | "In a Little While" | Uncle Kracker |
| 2003 | "A Toast to Men" | Herself |
| 2011 | "Burn It Down" | Awolnation |
Other Appearances
- Television Live Performances
- Teensasion Hard Rock Live
- Total Request Live
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Live with Regis and Kelly
- All That
- Television Commercials
- Events
- Pantene Pro-Voice Live
- Guavaween
See also
In Spanish: Willa Ford para niños
