yeah_yeah
May 5th, 2004, 07:12 PM
Hey... Even though my intrest in Willa right now isn't high, I came across and new article on Willa that I found intresting and thought you all might be interested in it as well. It talks about why Sexysexobsessive isn't out yet, and what's up with Willa and all since we last heared from her.
Willa Ford Waiting In The Wings
By Sandy Lo Grasso
May 2004
If there's one artist who's been a victim of both the entertainment and business side of the industry, it's bad girl Willa Ford. Her 2001 debut, Willa Was Here brought her a top 10 hit with "I Wanna Be Bad", but along with her success came a few downfalls. Female audiences weren't always so kind to Ms. Ford. Maybe because she had dated Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter. Maybe because her thong stuck out of her jeans before it was the style. Now in 2004, when bad means good, Willa might just win over those haters. With her new single "A Toast To Men" and her follow-up album just waiting to be released, Willa Ford is back and is as real as ever.
Willa Ford called me on her way to Lowe's with a male friend. She screams as he cuts a corner before laughing hysterically. Still laughing, Willa apologizes and tells her friend to cut it out. Now it's down to business. Willa's sophomore album, which has been in the making for a couple of years now, has still yet to be released. Why? "My record company has been in a lot of litigation stuff." Willa explains about Lava Records, which was formerly merged with Atlantic. "Three different people have bought the record company out and sold it or something since I've been on the label. Everything just keeps getting pushed back on the label because everything's going crazy. So I've just been sitting around waiting." She says sounding surprisingly patient. "Oh you're leaving me?" Willa shouts out as the car door closes. "Okay fine, I'm not going into Lowe's. I'm going to stay in the car." She says spitefully before turning her attention back to the interview.
According to one of Willa's fansites, which seems to be updated more frequently than her official website, she had re-recorded her album because she wasn't happy with it. "I knew I had the time because obviously the record company--their hands were tied financially. So I came out with much better stuff." Willa confirmed. "I'm really excited. As soon as it's on the shelf, I'll be happy. I'm on the phone everyday with attorneys trying to figure out what the hell's going on." As Willa thinks deeper into the release of her second album, she sounds more frustrated, with good reason too. "It's a really tough business. It really is as far as if things aren't proper and legal, you can't even release your music, which is so weird to me. We're supposed to be entertainers, but instead we're these business running machines." She says, but she leaves it up to God now.
Speaking of God, he's a touchy subject for the sexy singer. During a recent appearance on the always controversial Howard Stern talk show, Willa was in the hot seat when religion came up. Howard pushed Willa's buttons asking how she could call herself religious when her image is more or less sex. Willa defends her scantily dressed photoshoots for FHM and Stuff Magazine with, "Hey, I haven't posed naked, have I?" She does have a point there. "I got offended really quickly. I figured religion's not something we talk about. I believe and that's all I need to say." Willa stated. All in all, Howard Stern was good to Willa, which is a surprise. "He told me it was really nice to have a beautiful, intelligent, non-skanky girl on the show for a change." Willa said with a laugh. "Off the air too, he was like, 'I don't know how someone could date you then Paris [Hilton]'. He was just telling me really nice things on a personal level." It's obvious Willa's love life always comes back to haunt her, even if it is a compliment.
Far away from love and religion, we get back to the album. What's the main difference between her first record and this one, set to be called Sexysexobsessive? "The artwork." Willa teases, but then states the obvious, "the music" before going into more detail. "It's much more cutting edge. It doesn't sound like Britney [Spears]. We all have so many stipulations that we sound like this person or that person...It's fresh. It's really fresh sounding." She says, which is the reason why the label is very careful about letting any of the music seep out into the media. Though Willa says she could "give two sh*ts" if she's compared to Britney or Christina, she does seem to be bothered by the way the industry is handled. "There's a lot of pressure to put together a certain record. We all kind of sound similar when you put a lot of music on it. These record companies just think everything's about image now and so we all get packaged in a form. I wish people can really see who's really talented and more of a facade." Willa also finds trouble with people taking her seriously because of the way she looks, though she is comfortable with her body as her recent photoshoots prove. She also admits she thought she was too skinny for the release of her debut album.
The topic of image led us to a discussion of women's sexuality in society. "They really give [women] a lot of backlash. They freak out when you do something, but R. Kelly gets convicted of everything but the guilty sentence on all the stuff he did with minor girls and it's like we've all forgotten already." Willa says disgusted. "He's all over the radio still, everybody loves him still. We have on videotape what he did and he's getting away with it. I'm not okay with that and I think that when people attack somebody like me because 'oh well don't you feel like you have moral responsibility to the children?' Well, don't you think everybody does?" Willa asks. "...And don't you think that if what I'm doing is horrible that some other people should be in jail?" Despite these feelings, Willa admits society isn't as brutal on her as they are to someone like Britney Spears. "I never came out saying I was good. Therefore when I did something strange, it was shocking, but it didn't really freak anybody out."
Back to this album we haven't heard enough about. "A Toast To Men" is already featured in a CBS promo for "Young & The Restless" and "Bold & The Beautiful". Deja-vu! So was "Did You Understand That" a few years ago. No, Willa's not a soap opera fan, though she was into "Days Of Our Lives" for a while. "Recently they've been killing everybody off, so really I don't give a sh*t anymore." She says. Lady May is a featured rapper on the single, but are there plans to collaborate with anyone else? "There might be. Probably. I'm kind of waiting for the dust to settle and then I can pick and choose." I wasn't surprised to hear Willa mention Uncle Kracker as a possibility since he's a great friend of hers. Willa explains most of the material is already written for the record, but he's the only person she'd want to write with. "He's the one I really respect." She says.
After talk of the album was done, I asked Willa to name a moment in her life she'd like to go back to. "That's a good question." She says as she thinks. "It wouldn't be high school." Willa laughs. "You know what? I don't think there's a moment I'd want to relive." She concludes, but mentions family trips to the Florida Keys as happy memories. "I'm at a point in my life right now where I want a change. I don't know what it is, but I want something. I'll figure it out." Willa confides. "Not my hair color. Anything else, but not my hair color." She adds in. I guess the old saying still holds true, "Blondes do have more fun."
Willa left this message of encouragement to her fans who have been waiting. "I think people that aren't in my position might not recognize the harsh business side of what it is that's taking so long. Unfortunately I've just gotten some bad luck as far as all that business stuff is concerned. I just have to keep hashing it out harder than most people. Just hang in there and when it comes around, it comes around. That's kind of how it works."
It's obvious Willa Ford knows hard work and is not afraid to get things done, but where does she stand in this world of innocent and sexy? She doesn't like to wear a bra and is just another one of the guys. She talks about sex freely, but isn't a tramp. She may sound like a bitch, but she really isn't. Willa Ford may not be the girl next door, but she doesn't pretend to be. Misjudge her all you want, but she knows who she is and what she wants. That's more than most of us can say.
* StarShine Magazine (http://www.starshinemag.com/WillaFord/article-may2004.html)
~*~Destiny~*~
Willa Ford Waiting In The Wings
By Sandy Lo Grasso
May 2004
If there's one artist who's been a victim of both the entertainment and business side of the industry, it's bad girl Willa Ford. Her 2001 debut, Willa Was Here brought her a top 10 hit with "I Wanna Be Bad", but along with her success came a few downfalls. Female audiences weren't always so kind to Ms. Ford. Maybe because she had dated Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter. Maybe because her thong stuck out of her jeans before it was the style. Now in 2004, when bad means good, Willa might just win over those haters. With her new single "A Toast To Men" and her follow-up album just waiting to be released, Willa Ford is back and is as real as ever.
Willa Ford called me on her way to Lowe's with a male friend. She screams as he cuts a corner before laughing hysterically. Still laughing, Willa apologizes and tells her friend to cut it out. Now it's down to business. Willa's sophomore album, which has been in the making for a couple of years now, has still yet to be released. Why? "My record company has been in a lot of litigation stuff." Willa explains about Lava Records, which was formerly merged with Atlantic. "Three different people have bought the record company out and sold it or something since I've been on the label. Everything just keeps getting pushed back on the label because everything's going crazy. So I've just been sitting around waiting." She says sounding surprisingly patient. "Oh you're leaving me?" Willa shouts out as the car door closes. "Okay fine, I'm not going into Lowe's. I'm going to stay in the car." She says spitefully before turning her attention back to the interview.
According to one of Willa's fansites, which seems to be updated more frequently than her official website, she had re-recorded her album because she wasn't happy with it. "I knew I had the time because obviously the record company--their hands were tied financially. So I came out with much better stuff." Willa confirmed. "I'm really excited. As soon as it's on the shelf, I'll be happy. I'm on the phone everyday with attorneys trying to figure out what the hell's going on." As Willa thinks deeper into the release of her second album, she sounds more frustrated, with good reason too. "It's a really tough business. It really is as far as if things aren't proper and legal, you can't even release your music, which is so weird to me. We're supposed to be entertainers, but instead we're these business running machines." She says, but she leaves it up to God now.
Speaking of God, he's a touchy subject for the sexy singer. During a recent appearance on the always controversial Howard Stern talk show, Willa was in the hot seat when religion came up. Howard pushed Willa's buttons asking how she could call herself religious when her image is more or less sex. Willa defends her scantily dressed photoshoots for FHM and Stuff Magazine with, "Hey, I haven't posed naked, have I?" She does have a point there. "I got offended really quickly. I figured religion's not something we talk about. I believe and that's all I need to say." Willa stated. All in all, Howard Stern was good to Willa, which is a surprise. "He told me it was really nice to have a beautiful, intelligent, non-skanky girl on the show for a change." Willa said with a laugh. "Off the air too, he was like, 'I don't know how someone could date you then Paris [Hilton]'. He was just telling me really nice things on a personal level." It's obvious Willa's love life always comes back to haunt her, even if it is a compliment.
Far away from love and religion, we get back to the album. What's the main difference between her first record and this one, set to be called Sexysexobsessive? "The artwork." Willa teases, but then states the obvious, "the music" before going into more detail. "It's much more cutting edge. It doesn't sound like Britney [Spears]. We all have so many stipulations that we sound like this person or that person...It's fresh. It's really fresh sounding." She says, which is the reason why the label is very careful about letting any of the music seep out into the media. Though Willa says she could "give two sh*ts" if she's compared to Britney or Christina, she does seem to be bothered by the way the industry is handled. "There's a lot of pressure to put together a certain record. We all kind of sound similar when you put a lot of music on it. These record companies just think everything's about image now and so we all get packaged in a form. I wish people can really see who's really talented and more of a facade." Willa also finds trouble with people taking her seriously because of the way she looks, though she is comfortable with her body as her recent photoshoots prove. She also admits she thought she was too skinny for the release of her debut album.
The topic of image led us to a discussion of women's sexuality in society. "They really give [women] a lot of backlash. They freak out when you do something, but R. Kelly gets convicted of everything but the guilty sentence on all the stuff he did with minor girls and it's like we've all forgotten already." Willa says disgusted. "He's all over the radio still, everybody loves him still. We have on videotape what he did and he's getting away with it. I'm not okay with that and I think that when people attack somebody like me because 'oh well don't you feel like you have moral responsibility to the children?' Well, don't you think everybody does?" Willa asks. "...And don't you think that if what I'm doing is horrible that some other people should be in jail?" Despite these feelings, Willa admits society isn't as brutal on her as they are to someone like Britney Spears. "I never came out saying I was good. Therefore when I did something strange, it was shocking, but it didn't really freak anybody out."
Back to this album we haven't heard enough about. "A Toast To Men" is already featured in a CBS promo for "Young & The Restless" and "Bold & The Beautiful". Deja-vu! So was "Did You Understand That" a few years ago. No, Willa's not a soap opera fan, though she was into "Days Of Our Lives" for a while. "Recently they've been killing everybody off, so really I don't give a sh*t anymore." She says. Lady May is a featured rapper on the single, but are there plans to collaborate with anyone else? "There might be. Probably. I'm kind of waiting for the dust to settle and then I can pick and choose." I wasn't surprised to hear Willa mention Uncle Kracker as a possibility since he's a great friend of hers. Willa explains most of the material is already written for the record, but he's the only person she'd want to write with. "He's the one I really respect." She says.
After talk of the album was done, I asked Willa to name a moment in her life she'd like to go back to. "That's a good question." She says as she thinks. "It wouldn't be high school." Willa laughs. "You know what? I don't think there's a moment I'd want to relive." She concludes, but mentions family trips to the Florida Keys as happy memories. "I'm at a point in my life right now where I want a change. I don't know what it is, but I want something. I'll figure it out." Willa confides. "Not my hair color. Anything else, but not my hair color." She adds in. I guess the old saying still holds true, "Blondes do have more fun."
Willa left this message of encouragement to her fans who have been waiting. "I think people that aren't in my position might not recognize the harsh business side of what it is that's taking so long. Unfortunately I've just gotten some bad luck as far as all that business stuff is concerned. I just have to keep hashing it out harder than most people. Just hang in there and when it comes around, it comes around. That's kind of how it works."
It's obvious Willa Ford knows hard work and is not afraid to get things done, but where does she stand in this world of innocent and sexy? She doesn't like to wear a bra and is just another one of the guys. She talks about sex freely, but isn't a tramp. She may sound like a bitch, but she really isn't. Willa Ford may not be the girl next door, but she doesn't pretend to be. Misjudge her all you want, but she knows who she is and what she wants. That's more than most of us can say.
* StarShine Magazine (http://www.starshinemag.com/WillaFord/article-may2004.html)
~*~Destiny~*~