When They Popped - A Y2K Pop Culture Podcast · Kelsey and Mary

Willa Ford Is So Back

·52 min·5 clips
Willa Ford was almost shelved by her label until Jason Flom heard 'I Wanna Be Bad' and bought her out.
Hosts Kelsey and Mary interview pop icon Willa Ford about her career, from her 2001 hit 'I Wanna Be Bad' to her new album 'Amanda'. She discusses the challenges of the early 2000s music industry, her near-shelving, and how seizures linked to trauma inspired her to reclaim music as healing. The conversation covers her resilience, interior design career, and indie creative freedom.

As heard by us

A warm, memory-rich conversation that lets the hard edges stay visible.

Willa Ford's return feels less like a nostalgia pass than a check-in on what a pop career can turn into after the hit has faded. Kelsey and Mary move quickly from "I Wanna Be Bad" into Ford's work across music, film, television, modeling, and interior design, but they keep…

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Why you'd press play

If you still know every word to "I Wanna Be Bad," start here.

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