A less-known addition to the packed field of blonde bombshell pop stars, Willa Ford established herself with an edgier image and a relationship with Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys. A naturally strong singer, Amanda Lee Williford joined the Tampa, Florida-based performance group Entertainment Revue at the age of 11. She performed with the group of 20 preadolescent girls at Walt Disney World and other theme parks, before leaving to join a quartet called FLA. She signed with MCA at 16 and began a solo career under the name Mandah, but changed it to Willa Ford to avoid confusion with pop singer Mandy Moore. As a result of negative publicity about her romantic life, MCA dropped her, fearing that her "good girl" image was tarnished. Ford signed with Atlantic and did two songs for the Pokemon soundtrack. Her debut album, Willa Was Here, was released in 2001, and the single "I Wanna Be Bad" became an R&B hit that year. Her second effort, Toast to Men: F**k the Men, appeared in 2003.