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| Birth Name(s) : Amanda Lee Williford |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Singer, songwriter, record producer, presenter, actress |
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Full Willa Ford Biography
Amanda Lee Williford, known professionally as Willa Ford (born January 22, 1981) is an American pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress, television personality, and presenter.
Ford was born in Ruskin, Florida and raised on her parents', Ralph Everett and Donna Williford, farm. As a young girl, she studied opera and began pursuing a singing career at age eight, when she joined the Tampa Bay Children's Choir. By age eleven, she had become a member of the Tampa-based Children's Performing Arts Troupe Entertainment Revue, which consisted of twenty girls, ages five-sixteen, who toured the area and sang at places such as Walt Disney World Resort and Busch Gardens. Ford advanced from the chorus to the role of featured soloist. When she was fifteen, she left the troupe and landed a spot with a local foursome called FLA but did not remain long before heading to Los Angeles, California.
During a mall tour for Nautica Kids, Lava/Atlantic Records noticed Ford. Shortly thereafter, Lava/Atlantic gave Ford a deal and put her into their recording studio with a diverse group of writers and producers. Unlike some teen singers, Ford preferred to write most of her lyrics.
On July 17, 2001, Ford released her debut album Willa Was Here, containing the single "I Wanna Be Bad." The album used pop/R&B grooves, dance beats and vocoders. Despite this hit single, the album reached only No. 56 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Ford is one of the few female artists that can access the whistle register as displayed in her song "Ooh Ooh".
Also in 2001, Ford served as the spokesperson for Pantene Pro-V's Pro-Voice campaign and appeared on the in-concert cable special Teensation. Ford also hosted MTV's Total Request Live and Say What Karaoke. She then won a contract with MTV.
In 2002, Ford co-wrote and sang a duet with South Korean pop star Park Ji-yoon entitled "Nastified," which appeared on Ji-yoon's fifth album, Man. Throughout 2003, Ford hosted The Morning After and a reality series; I Bet You Will. Ford's song, "I Wanna Be Bad," became the theme song for the Six Flags amusement park chain and was also used by 7 Up for an advertising campaign. The hit single was also featured on the Totally Hits collection. Ford also modeled for Bongo clothing.
In 2006, Ford was one of the four celebrity quarterbacks for the Dallas Desire in the third Lingerie Bowl, which was shown on pay-per-view during half-time of Super Bowl XL. In February, Ford proved yet again to be the "Bad Girl of Pop" by posing nude for the March 2006 issue of Playboy with Jessica Alba on the cover.
In February 2006, Ford joined Nicollette Sheridan, Cindy Margolis, and DJ AM for a special Valentine's Day show at Club Pure in Las Vegas. Ford became a celebrity poker player on Calvin Ayre's Poker Wild Card in April. In the May issue of Stuff Magazine, Ford ranked No. 48 in the "101 Sexiest Online Women" competition and hosted the Love Jones Lingerie Fashion Show at Body English in Las Vegas later that month.
On August 14, 2006, on national television, Lisa Rinna announced the competitors, which included Ford, for the third season of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on September 12 on ABC. Some contestants, including Ford, had already been guessed days before Rinna's announcement on Good Morning America. Rumors were being circulated because of an article about Ford's close friend and former boyfriend UFC champ Chuck Liddell.
Ford and her professional partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy were voted off Dancing with the Stars on October 11, 2006 after five weeks of competition. On October 12, it was announced that for personal reasons, Sara Evans would be dropping out of the show.
On November 1, 2006, Ford returned to the televised result show of Dancing With the Stars, where she performed Fame, making her the first celebrity to be a contestant and performer on the show. On November 8, 2006, Ford returned to Dancing With the Stars again, but this time to perform a group jive and promote the upcoming tour. Ford also appeared a third time after her elimination on the November 15, 2006 season finale of Dancing With the Stars, when all the dancers and stars returned for their final dance number before crowning Emmitt Smith the third season's champion.
Ford reported to Access Hollywood that she is in fact, engaged to Mike Modano. They had been dating on and off for the past four years excluding the year she was living with Chuck Liddell, with Ford making that announcement at the end of November. According to an interview with Access Hollywood she stated that Modano popped the question in bed at the end of October and presented Ford with an engagement ring over Thanksgiving. She has also decided to pull out of The Tour along with Chmerkovskiy, and is opting to work on her next album.
Ford married Modano in Athens, Texas on August 25, 2007, in a private, sunset ceremony at the East Texas Barefoot Ranch, owned by Dallas businessman Benny & Stephanie Bray. She wore a wedding gown she designed herself. The couple bought a home in the Dallas area and hope to start a family soon. |
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