Pop artist Willa Ford chatted about her new studio album “amanda,” which was just released on March 6th, 2026.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Cyndi Lauper once said: “My music is about a joyful experience. I’ve learned that if you can affect other people, you should.” An individual who strives for this as well is Willa Ford, who ironically enough, was inspired musically by the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” songstress.
Background on Willa Ford
Ford is a classically-trained opera singer and has written songs alongside such luminaries as Grammy-winning hitmaker and Honorary Oscar winner Diane Warren.
She made a splash in the early ‘00s with her Top 40 breakout hit “I Wanna Be Bad.”
Her impressive career spans multiple disciplines including music, film, television, producing, modeling, and her own successful interior design company.
Her varied resume includes notable pop culture moments such as guest-hosting “TRL,” appearing on “Dancing with the Stars,” starring in “Friday the 13th,” and a turn on the E! reality show “Flip It Like Disick” with Scott Disick.
New album ‘amanda’
Her upcoming eponymous studio album “amanda,” is taken from her birth name, and with this new music, Ford is reclaiming a dream that was nearly destroyed.
After joining a longtime friend for a series of informal songwriting sessions in 2023, she quickly reconnected with her long-dormant musical passion, tapping into her formidable talent.
As she delved deeper into the creative process, Ford suffered her first bout of seizures, known as PNES. This was later discovered to be triggered by unresolved trauma closely tied to her past experiences in music.
While working through that trauma and learning to cope with her condition, she dove back into the music with an even stronger sense of purpose.
Performing shows to showcase the new music
To promote her album’s debut single “Burn Burn,” Ford performed at such venues as The Abbey in Los Angeles and Hush Bar in New York City, where the fan reaction was tremendous.
“I did both shows and they were such quaint, cool events,” Ford admitted. “We are working towards planning a full tour for the summer,” she foreshadowed. “That is why I did not sign my kids up for any sports this summer.”
‘Burn Burn’ lead single
On her new single “Burn Burn,” she exclaimed, “I love singing ‘Burn Burn.’ I knew that was going to be the first single. Just to come out of the box, we needed to bridge from ‘I Wanna Be Bad’ to this new record.”
“What I love about ‘Burn Burn’ is that it still sounds current, but it also sounds like it could have been on the ‘I Wanna Be Bad’ record in way, so it made a lot of sense to transition in that song 25 years later,” Ford explained.
‘Love4Life’ single
Her second single, “Love4Life,” is an exploration of one’s self-worth and the enduring power of love. “That song is about my husband when I wrote it,” she said. “I love that song so much!”
“I wanted to write something for him because until he came into my life, I don’t think I had enough stability or love to be able to unpack my trauma. If there was no Ryan in my life, I wouldn’t have the stability to go there, and there would be no record,” she said.
“Also, this song is not only about a significant other. It can easily be about your best friend,” she noted.
“It’s easily about the person in your life that gave you the space to feel. I have wonderful parents, who I adore and I love them,” she admitted.
“My parents are so still behind this record. My dad and my mom were at Hush Bar in New York on the sidelines watching this song. I am so lucky to still have them, and they taught me what love looked like,” she added.
“Then, they sent me out in the world, and the world showed me something very different and it was very scary,” she attested.
“Fortunately, I was able to reel it back and find a man that really gave me a platform to want a family, to want children and to want to do something good in the world. So, I love that about him,” she said.
“We decided to put a fun dance beat to that song,” she said. “Music is a shared experience, and it doesn’t give up on me. I am just continuing to share hope with people.”
Song selection process for the ‘amanda’ album
Regarding the song selection approach for the new “amanda” album, she said,
“We went through a writing situation. I don’t think the song selection process was that hard. I knew I wanted the record to have a certain flow to it, where I wanted it to tell my story.”
“I wanted it to speak to the audience that I was aiming for. I wanted to speak hope into people, but then, I also wanted people to hear my pain and hope that that could be relatable,” she elaborated.
“Again, I was writing this record to heal, and that’s redundant. You hear a lot of people saying that. I mean, straight up, I really had some health issues, and this record was my saving grace,” she acknowledged.
“So, that was pretty obvious for me. I can’t wait until the fans see the lyrics and hear ‘Tombstone,’ the last track on the album,” she noted.
“That song was born on my piano on a day that was very dark because of some information that was coming out in the press about my past trauma. I was just scared of what was coming.”
“I just started singing and these words just came out of my body. I remember my writing partner, Jonathan, was just sitting there trying to write down and he was recording and he was asking ‘what was happening?’ That’s how a lot of these songs came to me,” she elaborated.
“They came like a download,” she admitted. “I believe it’s my subconscious and my brain trying to release things. So yeah, this album is a fun, danceable, Electronica record, but there are also some meaty songs. It’s very musical and you can hear my training.”
“You can hear my harmonies. You can hear everything. We are stripping down a deluxe edition that people don’t even know about yet,” she added.
“We are stripping down acapella versions. I’m in the middle of doing all this. I was just on a Zoom for strings for something that’s going to blow everybody away,” she said.
“They’re going to be so excited because it’s everybody’s favorite song, all on strings,” she foreshadowed. “All of these things are happening organic and authentically, so I didn’t have to overthink so much.”
“There is so much identity on this album,” she noted. “I do think there is something for everyone. Also, if you’re not in the mood, you can skip tracks, but it really takes you on a fun journey.”
‘1×1’ song
“This song is silly pop, it’s really lighthearted and I do it vocally tongue-in-cheek,” she said.
“It is truly about us where we are standing up one by one. We run the night. That is the idea of those lyrics. It’s a cool record, and I am so excited about it,” she added.
‘How Do You Like Me Now’ song
Ford revealed that the song “How Do You Like Me Now” is about abuse. “It’s simple. It doesn’t sound scary, but I came up with that title just while I was sitting there,” she said.
It tackles such difficult subject matter as pain and emotional hurt, but the female narrator is looking at herself now where she is able “to flourish and be happy” all while “living her best life.”
“I think this song will hit people to the core,” she said. “I am trying to figure out how to do something with that song as well to raise money for charity because that would be nice and beneficial for all.”
‘Flex’ song
On the track “Flex,” she shared, “It is a dance ball, but it’s also about my husband. I call him the lion. That’s why some of the lyrics are confusing… the lion doesn’t make much noise when he’s coming in the room, but if you mess with the lion, get ready.”
“I love this concept of ‘Flex’… I want a man who can own something, you know? That’s what the song is about, but I also love this journey of the album,” she added.
Favorite songs on the album
On her favorite songs on the album, Ford stated, “It depends on the day. These songs all represent such crazy and different parts of my life.”
One of them that I am most proud of is the new single ‘Carousel.’ I think it does something musically that is really special.”
“I also love ‘Safe With Me,” which is a really important song. That vocal was recorded very intimately. I didn’t want them to fix the little things in my voice,” she said.
“I wanted it to sound like I was talking to my friend very quietly in their ear while they were going through something. I think it comes across that way,” she said. “Also, ‘Safe With Me’ shows the meat and potatoes of who I am… a vocal arranger, a composer, and a harmony guru, if you must.”
“I’m currently working with my sound and audio engineer, Colie, and we are building a very specific looping machine so that I can recreate these songs live,” she added.
New music in the works
If this new album wasn’t enough, Ford shared that she has already started writing her next record.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Ford said, “It’s so cool. Even though everybody is very worried about AI taking over and being able to do the things that we are doing.”
“What AI is never going to replace is the performer,” she underscored. “At this point, it can’t replace me looping harmonies in front of you to create a song that otherwise you couldn’t do it.”
“I’m not a robot. These are not robotic parts. This is my voice. So, that was something I considered as I went into this record,” she said.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but my husband is in Venture capital (VC), where they have an entire AI wing. So, I know what is coming down the pipeline,” she said.
“I know how much money is behind that… and I know how fast things are going to change. We are not going to stop the train as humans. We can work our hardest for the ethics of the train and stand up for that,” she elaborated.
“Back in the day, in the 2000s, as an artist, I couldn’t do the things that I am able to do now. I would have to fly to New York or to other places to promote the music,” she noted.
“Now, it is cool because I literally dropped my son to school this morning, I fed my baby, and I got on my interior design calls. Then, I turned around, I put on makeup and I got to do Zoom calls with media and press to talk about my new music,” she explained.
“I don’t think I could have done all those things back in the early ‘00s. I couldn’t have been a mother, an entrepreneur, and a musician, but now I can,” she exclaimed.
Willa Ford on the future of pop music
“For many years, people have asked me where I’ve been. I would tell them that I have been building a life. For 13 years, I’ve built an empire with interior design,” she said.
“While I didn’t know I needed music, I am so glad that the fans actually wanted it. When I decided to put this record out, I didn’t even know if anybody wanted to listen to it,” she noted.
“There are so many great pop artists out there. People think that I am coming back to save pop, and I am not! I am not saving pop music. You have some really amazing pop artists right now such as Zara Larsson.”
“I don’t think I am here to save pop music, but I am here to speak for a generation,” she admitted.
“I’m also here to speak love into people in a way that I don’t think I loved myself enough to do before, because I didn’t even know what was going on. I have friends who have gone through traumatic things,” she acknowledged.
“I think it’s my job to speak to the LGBTQ+ community and say, ‘hey, I’m a Christian.’ I love you. You should be right next to me in church, if that’s where you want to be. You are loved and you are accepted,” she elaborated.
“While I don’t like to speak out politically, this album is my way to tell people where I stand,” she added.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Ford revealed, “Proclaim!”
“In my house, we actually do a word every year. This year, my word is ‘proclaim’ and that’s my new chapter,” she admitted. “I proclaim that I deserve it. I proclaim that I’m worthy. I proclaim that for everybody too in my life.”
“I proclaim that all good things that will come to me are to be used,” she noted. “So, I’m finally stepping into my gifts again. I do think that I’m finally stepping into my true gift, which is what I was born to do, and that’s my first love… music!”
“I was five years old watching Cyndi Lauper and I knew that this is what I wanted to do,” she said. “So, my next chapter is ‘Proclaim’.”
“I want that for my fans too. We are going to proclaim this. We are going to work together one by one and we’re going to fix the wrongs,” she added.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Ford said, “Success means that I’m making a mark in the world that will forever be written. It isn’t success anymore; it’s legacy.”
“Legacy is the word I would go with,” she admitted. “I’m not looking for success; I’m looking for legacy. So, every time my children go back and hear my voice when I’m gone (and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren), but my legacy will stay.”
“So, I plan to do things with that legacy that help, and don’t hurt,” she acknowledged. “That’s success for me right now.”
Closing thoughts on the new album
For her fans and listeners, she remarked about the new album, “You could be in the deepest pits — and I’ve been there — and you will find your way out and then look at the masterpiece that can come from it.”
“I have lived a hard life and now my work is art, and I am very grateful to do it. So, that’s what I want the fans to get out of it… wherever you are on this journey, remember that it gets better,” she reassured them.
“Then, it can also get worse, but then it gets better again. So, I just don’t want people to give up anymore,” she noted.
“I sequenced the album exactly how I wanted it to hit the fans… I wanted to hit them with the dance songs, the good songs, the emotional songs, and then the fun songs as we find our way through the record. It’s so much fun,” Ford concluded.
Her new album “amanda” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about pop artist Willa Ford and her new music, follow her on Instagram and check out her official website.
