About the Artist
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. 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 classic sorority chant. "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 an enduring 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." 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.