Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul
Abdul at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023
Born
Paula Julie Abdul

(1962-06-19) June 19, 1962 (age 62)
Alma materCalifornia State University, Northridge
Occupations
  • Singer
  • dancer
  • choreographer
  • actress
  • television personality
Years active1978–present
Spouses
(m. 1992; div. 1994)
Brad Beckerman
(m. 1996; div. 1998)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Websitepaulaabdul.com

Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962)[2] is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographer for the Laker Girls, where she was discovered by the Jacksons.[3] After choreographing music videos for Janet Jackson, Abdul became a choreographer at the height of the music video era and soon thereafter she was signed to Virgin Records. Her debut studio album Forever Your Girl (1988) became one of the most successful debut albums at that time, selling seven million copies in the United States and setting a record for the most number-one singles from a debut album on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract". Her second album Spellbound (1991) scored her two more chart-toppers – "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day". With six number-one singles on Hot 100, Abdul tied Diana Ross for the third-most chart-toppers among female solo artists at the time.[4]

Abdul was one of the original judges on the television series American Idol from 2002 to 2009, and has since appeared as a judge on The X Factor, Live to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Masked Dancer. She received choreography credits in numerous films, including Can't Buy Me Love (1987), The Running Man (1987), Coming to America (1988), Action Jackson (1988), The Doors (1991), Jerry Maguire (1996), and American Beauty (1999). She received 17 MTV Video Music Award nominations, winning five, as well as receiving the Grammy Award for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract" in 1991. She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography twice for her work on The Tracey Ullman Show, and her own performance at the American Music Awards in 1990. Abdul was honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is the first entertainer to be honored with the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards' Hall of Fame Award.

  1. ^ "Paula Abdul Signs with Mercury Records". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. October 31, 1997. web.archive.org. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2015. Former Virgin Records recording artist Paula Abdul has signed a multirecord deal with Mercury Records
  2. ^ "Paula Abdul – Biography". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  3. ^ Masters, Steve. "Introducing Paula Abdul - interview". Record Mirror. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  4. ^ Bronson, Frea (October 9, 2008). "Chart Beat: T.I., James Taylor, Kellie Pickler". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2009.