Willa Ford first made it to the music scene under the stage name Mandah, and was signed to MCA. During her time with MCA, Willa Ford wrote a song entitled “Lullaby.” The song was eventually included in the film Pokemon: The First Movie. Later on she was invited to do the opening act for groups such as the Backstreet Boys.

After MCA, Willa Ford moved to a new label, Lava Atlantic Records. She then worked on her first album, which was released in 2001 named Willa Was Here. It featured the hit single “I Wanna Be Bad,” which eventually topped the charts and gave her a name in the music business. While her album sold over 200,000 copies, her second single, “Did Ya’ Understand That,” failed to make it to the charts. In 2003, Willa Ford returned to the charts with the club hit “A Toast to Men.”

As a songwriter, Willa Ford helped write tracks for South Korean singer Park Ji-Yoon, and made a duet with her entitled “Nastified,” which appeared in Park’s fifth album.

Willa Ford then ventured into the world of television by hosting the reality fighting competition The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. She also performed as a guest doll in the Las Vegas shows of pop group The Pussycat Dolls. In 2006, Willa Ford joined the reality dance competition Dancing With the Stars, and was voted off during the fifth elimination night. She was asked to come back to the show though, but not to dance. Rather, Willa Ford returned to sing the Academy Award winning song “Fame”. She also gave television viewers a tour of her house in shows such as My Celebrity Home and MTV Cribs.

As an actress, Willa Ford starred in the biopic Anna Nicole, in which she played the role of Anna Nicole Smith. The movie was however shelved and went straight to DVD. She then moved on to star in the movie Impulse, which also went straight to DVD. Her first feature film was in the movie Friday the 13th, which hit the top spot in box office during its opening weekend.

Aside from singing, dancing and acting, Willa Ford is also a product endorser, and she has promoted different products such as Pantene and VaNu super foods. She and her husband, Mike Modano, also hosted the Rewind party, an ‘80s themed event held at the Dallas Centennial Hall.