Amanda Williford

Other Facts:

**"Mandy" is Amanda's nickname.
**Mandy lives near Nick's old house in Ruskin.
**Mandy attended East Bay High, which is just outside Ruskin, until she left when she was 16 to tour with Nick.
**Mandy had a 4.25 GPA when she was 16, I assume a Junior at East Bay High.
**Mandy's parents own fruit farms outside of Tampa.
**Mandy has a tattoo on her upper left arm. It's the music notes to "Amazing Grace".
**Mandy was signed with MCA Records. After they dropped her due to a lack of positive reponse to her and her music, she got signed with Atlantic Records
**Mandy goes by the stage name"Willa Ford".
**Mandy has a song called "Lullaby" on the Pokemon soundtrack
**Mandy co-wrote and did all the vocal arrangements for "Lullaby".
**Mandy has changed her stage name from "Mandah" to "Willa Ford".
**Mandy had changed her stage name from "Willa Ford" to "Mandah Lee" (Lee's her middle name) back to "Willa Ford".
**Mandy and Nick lived in the Williford home while waiting to move into their new house.
**Mandy and Nick used to live together (again) before they broke up (again).
**Here's the FIRST FAQ Nick wrote about his "first" break up with Mandy.
**Here's a LETTER Nick wrote saying that all the things about Mandy in the first FAQ are false.
**Here's a couple of ARTICLES that contradict the letter that Nick wrote.
**Here's a what Nick's UNCLE STEVE had to say about Mandy.
**Here are a couple of PICTURES that caused a little controversy about Nick and Mandy's relationship.

Sightings:

  • December 7, 1998:
    Mandy was sitting right next to Nick at the 1998 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. She sat next to Brian's girlfriend, Leighanne at one point when the Boys were backstage doing press after winning "Best Group Album". When 'Lil Tyke was lying bored in Leighanne's lap, Mandy poked him really hard in the side. It had to hurt, but Tyke didn't move. Nick and Mandy left early. Me and my friend sat behind the Boys.

  • December 31, 1998:
    Mandy was at the New Year's Eve concert in Orlando. She was outside walking Nick's dog, Houston, before the concert. Right before the Boys went onstage, Mandy was backstage with Nick, as can be seen on the "Homecoming: Live In Orlando" video (the PPV concert). Here's a picture of Mandy walking Nick's dog and another of them backstage:

  • January 11, 1999:
    Mandy was sitting right next to Nick at the 1999 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. When the Boys performed she and Brian's girlfriend, Leighanne sat together in the first row. When the Boys were done, they resumed seats several rows back. Me and my friends sat behind the Boys.

  • February 23, 1999:
    Mandy was right by Nick's side at the 1999 Grammy Awards. Sorry to say this, but Mandy didn't look good that night, but, like said before, none of the girls look good that night. Me and my friends sat behind the Boys and talked to them after the show.

  • May 15, 1999:
    Mandy was at the taping of the Disney concert the Boys did in New York City. She sat in a balconey with Brian's girlfriend, Leighanne. Earlier that day, Mandy and Leighanne went shopping around the city. Here's a picture of her in front of their hotel and another of both Mandy and Leighanne:

  • Sometime during the summer:
    Mandy was on tour with Nick during the summer of '99 in Europe. I don't know when this was taken, but here's a picture of Mandy while the Boys were in Germany:

  • November 26, 1999:
    After a three/four-month break up, Mandy was at the Kentucky concert. There were some crazy rumors going around that Mandy was stalking Nick, but that wasn't true. She was wearing a VIP Backstage Pass around her neck.

  • December 6, 1999:
    Mandy was at the Ft. Lauderdale concert. She was with AJ's girlfriend, Amanda, and Howie's girlfriend, Claudia.

  • December 8, 1999:
    Mandy was with Nick at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Her and Nick showed up late, right before they announced the winner for "Album of the Year". Me and my friends sat almost directly behind the Boys.

  • February 15, 2000:
    Mandy was at the Albany concert with Nick. My friend Sarah got to meet her. She said that Mandy was very nice and sweet. She also said that many of the fans met Mandy and she was cordial to all of them and taking pictures with them. Sarah sent this picture of Mandy with her new dark brown hair:

  • February 23, 2000:
    Mandy was at the Grammys with Nick, as well as Nick's brother Aaron and sister, Leslie. Me and my friend sat pretty close to the Boys, but we've sat closer before. This time we were a little off to the side.

  • February 24, 2000:
    Backstreet Fans got caught off guard at yesterday's St. Petersburg concert in Florida. The opening act was a singer named "Willa". Guess who it was?? If you guessed Mandy, you're right. Mandy took the stage last night, surprising everyone. Here's a picture of her performing:

  • February 26, 2000:
    Mandy was walking around, I guess before the concert in New Orleans and talked to some of the fans. One fan emailed me and said that she introduced herself as "Willa" and she didn't recognize Mandy because of her brown hair. She said Mandy was with her pug Houston and she said Nick gave him to her. She also said the things about being said about Mandy (the bad stuff) are not true. The fan said Mandy was very nice and that wasn't going around bragging about being Nick's girlfriend. I guess she heard something about Mandy bragging about being Nick's girlfriend, but it wasn't from here. I've never said that about her.

  • March 9, 2000:
    I'm pretty sure these pictures were taken on this day. I want to thank the owner of The Best Willa Ford Fan Site for allowing me to use her pictures (Sorry, I didn't catch your name):

  • March ??, 2000:
    Mandy was at the charity basketball game Nick played in. She was the half-time entertainment, but as the game was played she sat next to Brian's girlfriend, Leighanne. Here's a picture of them enjoying the game:

  • July 29, 2000:
    Here are some pictures of Mandy on the first day of the Nautica mall tour. She sang "I Wanna Be Bad", "Somebody Take The Pain Away", and "Innocent Girl", then signed autographs afterward:

  • September 22-24, 2000:
    Mandy accompanied Nick to Los Angeles with the rest of the Boys to shoot the video for the new single, "Shape Of My Heart", which was filmed in the downtown area. Mandy hung out with AJ's girlfriend, Amanda.

  • January 22, 2001:
    Mandy was seen by several fans at the concert tour opener in Ft. Lauderdale trying to get Nick's attention and attempting to get backstage, which she wasn't able to do.

    Various News/Statements:

    **12/13/00**
    To clear up any confusion, Mandy is 19 and NOT 18, as reported in her biography on her official site at Atlantic-Records.com. I didn't catch it right away 'cause I figured the record company backing her up would get that right.

    **12/16/00**
    According to Atlantic Records, Mandy's single will be out sometime in January and her album is scheduled for release in May 2001. Her track listing is as follows:
    1. I Wanna Be Bad   2. Pain   3. Innocent Girl   4. Ooh Ooh   5. Haunted Heart   6. Tender   7. Don't Wanna Fall In Love Again   8. You Think Of Me   9. Jokes On You   10. Get A Life   11. It's All About Me

    **12/20/00**
    Atlantic Records has started a new official Yahoo! club for Mandy (aka Willa Ford). That's about it.

    **12/31/00**
    After bouncing from record company to record company, Mandy's finally got a release date for her single, her video and her album, entitled Willa Ford. Her single, "I Wanna Be Bad", will be out February 8th, the video will be out March 4th, and her album will be released on April 24th. Mandy is also mentioned in the new Teen People issue (the one with Britney on the cover), saying she will be hosting the "Pantene Pro-Voice Competition" in Central Park. She will also be performing at Hard Rock Live in Orlando on January 23rd, among others. Tickets are free.

    **01/04/01**
    Mandy has a small picture on page 49 in the new YM magazine with the Backstreet Boys on the cover.

    **01/09/01**
    Mandy's website at Alantic-Records.com now has a news section and some new pictures. I'll have those up soon. Also, Mandy's section at Pro-Voice.com has been updated.

    **01/19/00**
    A commercial for the Pantene Pro-Voice Competition is being played on Much Music and shows a picture of Mandy, as well as a few little pics of her. Also, all Transworld Music stores are giving away copies of her track, "Ooh Ooh", from her debut album, Willa Ford.

    **01/24/01**
    Mandy (aka Willa Ford) performed at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando yesterday. I hear it was good and it will televised in March, although not everywhere. She performed "I Wanna Be Bad", "Ooh Ooh", and "Jokes On You". Two nights before Mandy was seen at the opener for the 2001 Black & Blue World Tour. I'm told she was trying to get Nick's attention and she couldn't get backstage. Also, Mandy's website at Atlantic-Records.com is no longer up. I don't know what's up but this is considered a good sign for anti-Willa fans. Oh yeah, Mandy's 20th birthday was on Monday. "Happy Birthday!"

    **01/30/01**
    Mandy has added a little accessory (like Christina Aguilera....again) to her image. She got her nose pierced. It's just a small stud and isn't noticable unless your looking (like Christina). Her single, "I Wanna Be Bad" will be released between March and April. Also, her album release has been pushed back from April to sometime this summer.

    **02/03/01**
    Mandy was in New York City, seen shopping in a Guess store. I think she does promotion for them now. I never did like wearing their clothes. Anyway, Mandy was interviewed while at something for Teen People where she also performed. Mandy also did a photo shoot for Seventeen magazine modeling prom dresses. The issue is on news stands now.

    **02/18/01**
    Mandy is to be a part of a Pay-Per View concert with Debelah Morgan and Ashley Ballard. The concert is free, and I guess all you have to do is call your cable people and order it. It will be playing on March 12th, and replaying on March 16th.

    **02/20/01**
    Mandy has teamed up with ToeJam.com for the launch of her official website, which is coming up real soon. If you visit WillaFord.com, you can subscribe to a mailing list for updates. On March 4th, Mandy (aka Willa Ford) will be appearing and possibly performing at the Glendale Galleria from 7pm to 8pm in Glendale, California. Also, Atlantic Records is launching a series of concerts via Music Choice, a digital audio service for cable television, March 5th and Mandy is part of the first concert to air, which was the performance she did a the Hard Rock Live last month.

    **03/03/01**
    Mandy is the "New Talent" in the April issue of Teen People. There's a little article on her and a picture of her and her dog, Princess Foxy. And according to that article, Mandy's album is coming out in July.

    **03/11/01**
    Mandy's debut album entitled, Willa's World is set for release on July 10th. In the meantime, she's having a chat session at the Unofficial Willa Ford Club at 7pm EST/4pm PST on March 12th.

    **03/22/01**
    Mandy's single, "I Wanna Be Bad", will be hitting the radio airwaves on April 12th and hitting the stores sometime in May.

    **04/06/01**
    The "I Wanna Be Bad" single, the first off of Mandy's re-titled album Willa Was Here (I'll explain in a second) will be in stores May 8th. Someone got a hold of an advanced copy of Mandy's album and was spreading it around, so the record company and Mandy decided to change the name (yet again) to Willa Was Here. As for the "I Wanna Be Bad" video, it was shot in Los Angeles. It will have an interlude in it (which will be included in a B-side version of the song) and Devon Sawa has the male role. The video also includes 35 dancers. I'm sure most of you have seen pictures from the set and I must say that I was....shocked, to say the least, as were many of her fans. She's dressed in shiny black leather and looking very much like a hooker. But who knows? There'll be someone out there that'll like it. Anyway, Carson Daly has spoken of Mandy in several interviews saying she's is the sincerest artist he's met (::cough::yeah right::cough::) and she doesn't deserve to put up with most of the crap she gets. Anyway, it's possible she'll be on Total Request Live on Monday.

    **04/26/01**
    The track listing for Mandy's album Willa Was Here. It goes as follows:
    1. I Wanna Be Bad   2. Did Ya Understand That   3. Ooh Ooh   4. Tired   5. Joke's On You   6. Tender   7. Wish   8. Prince Charming   9. All The Right Moves   10. Somebody Take The Pain Away   11. Haunted Heart   12. Dare. Also, the single "I Wanna Be Bad" is expected to be released on May 22nd at CDNow.com.

    **04/29/01**
    Atlantic Records is playing a new version of Mandy's video for "I Wanna Be Bad". The police chase and the stripping scene have been taken out. Now she looks like a Britney-wannabe instead of the hooker from before. Which is worse? It seems like Atlantic is trying to tone down Mandy's "attitude" by changing the video and by these songs taken off the album: "You Think Of Me", "Get A Life", and "It's All About Me". Also taken off were "Innocent Girl" and "Don't Wanna Fall In Love". Mandy (aka Willa Ford) had done an interview for a radio station where they asked her what it was like to be Nick's girlfriend. She then proceeded to basically trash him. So she doesn't need anti-Willa fans to ruin her career....she's doing a good job of it all by herself.

    **05/08/01**
    Mandy is going to on Say What? Karaoke with Eden's Crush. An airdate for the show hasn't been released yet but it's being taped on May 16th. Also, there are rumors of the "I Wanna Be Bad" video getting on MTV (probably after midnight when little kids aren't watching).

    **05/14/01**
    Mandy (aka Willa Ford) has invaded MTV. Her video for "I Wanna Be Bad" has been tossed into rotation, getting some airtime on MTV's Hot Zone, and even became a "TRL Wannabe". Today during Total Request Live, there was a lone sign for Mandy that said "I (heart) Willa". It's starting.....

    **05/16/01**
    Today Mandy (aka Willa Ford) made her Total Request Live debut at #10 today. Luckily, I didn't turn it to MTV until #8. Okay, it wasn't luck. A friend called me up and told me not to turn it to MTV since she knows my thoughts on the video. She was also wondering how the video go on TRL in the first place since nobody knows who she is. Anyway, Mandy's song "Tender" will be on MTV's Spyder Games soundtrack and it will be released July 19th. To listen to clips of every song on Mandy's album GO HERE.

    **05/20/01**
    The release date for Mandy's debut album Willa Was Here has been pushed back again. It will not be released on July 10th, but on July 30th. The commercial release of her single "I Wanna Be Bad" is still scheduled to hit stores May 22nd. Are a Willa Fan or are you with the Anti-Will Forces. TeenPeople.com wants to know. CLICK HERE to vote.

    **06/06/01**
    Mandy's album release date for Willa Was Here has been pushed up to July 17th. Here single, "I Wanna Be Bad" was released and debuted at #14 on the Billboard Charts. And has severely dropped, I might add. That's it....

    Little Extras:


    The picture on top will be the cover to Mandy's single, "I Wanna Be Bad". The others are professional shots of Mandy since she's been signed with Atlantic Records.

    This picture is believed to be the first magazine picture of Nick and Mandy.

    Here are some pictures of Mandy and Nick together. I don't know when they were taken so I put them down here.

    Here's another picture of Mandy and one with Nick's sister Bobbie Jean, Angel, and Nick's brother, Aaron.

    Here's a picture of Mandy with a young fan.

    Here's a picture of Mandy and Brian's girlfriend, Leighanne somewhere (don't know where).

    Here are more pictures of Mandy with her dark brown hair.

    Here a picture of Mandy and her mother, taken at a BSB concert Mandy opened for.

    Here's Mandy with Nick when he was DJ's for the night at 93.3 FLZ in Tampa.

    Here's a picture of Mandy at an autograph signing, I guess it is. I assume it's after during the Nautica mall tour.

    That's Mandy standing in the middle with group named Sygnature.

    This is Nick's old girlfriend, Joanna from Sweden. She said that Nick was only an "okay" kisser. I don't know about that, but unfortunately this picture was taken from a tabloid overseas, so I really wouldn't trust that opinion.

    Here is a link to the LYRICS to "Lullaby, a link to the Real Audio version of LULLABY, here's the LYRICS to "Somebody Take The Pain Away", the Real Audio version of SOMEBODY TAKE THE PAIN AWAY, the LYRICS to "I Wanna Be Bad", the Real Audio version of I WANNA BE BAD, a link to the Real Audio version of OOH OOH, the link to the Real Audio version of JOKES ON YOU and the link to Mandy's WEBSITE at Atlantic Records.

    My Opinion of Mandy

    From the first moment I saw her, I didn't trust her. And given the majority of the Boys fans, they don't either. I was like, "Okay, talk to her, see how it goes." It didn't go well. I gave Nick a hug in front of her and she stared daggers at me. The other times I've come into contact with her didn't go any better. But as a singer myself, I decided to forget those incidents and give her music a chance. When I first heard "Lullaby", I was thinking, "Cool". I heard her other songs and they weren't that bad. But then I heard her sing live, and you have to be awesome live for me to really become a fan. She wasn't all that great, meaning I could live without hearing her sing live again. Then all the bad encounters other fans have expressed, I'm like, "Okay, if I'm trying to get my career started, would I be more personable? Yes." I'm sorry, but 30 million fans who have had the same bad experience with her can't all be wrong....

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