Paula Abdul

Famously discovered by members of The Jacksons while performing at a Los Angeles Lakers game, Paula Julie Abdul (born on June 19, 1962 in San Fernando, California, US) is known professionally as Paula Abdul: dancer, popstar and TV personality extraordinaire. Having kicked her career into gear as a cheerleader for the Lakers and later graduating to the position of head choreographer, Paula Abdul won over The Jacksons and was invited to choreograph the video to their single "Torture." She soon came on board as Janet Jackson's go-to choreographer, a role for which she is best known, notably working on the iconic "What Have You Done for Me Lately" "Nasty" and "Control" videos of 1986. She also dusted off her moves for Tom Hanks' giant keyboard in the 1988 movie Big. That same year, Paula Abdul added singing to her skillset and struck gold with her chartbusting debut album Forever Your Girl, scooping up not one but five Number 1 singles in the US, including the LP's title track. The album was a runaway success, topping the Billboard 200 where it spent 10 weeks at Number 1, and breaking records for the most Number 1 singles from a debut album. Championing a notably '80s strain of synthesizer-powered dance-pop complete with R&B elements, the album was given the remix treatment two years later via Shut Up and Dance (The Dance Mixes), which made it to Number 7 on the Billboard 200. At the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990, Paula Abdul picked up her first Grammy for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract," as well as receiving a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Straight Up." She released her second studio album in 1991, Spellbound, which also topped the US charts and earned her a Grammy for Best Recording Package. Her third studio album, Head Over Heels, arrived in 1995 and two years later she made her TV acting debut in Touched by Evil. Paula Abdul forged a successful career both as a choreographer and in television, notably working on American Idol, also releasing singles "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" with Randy Jackson in 2008 and "I'm Just Here for the Music" in 2009. In 2021, Paula Abdul made her return to American Idol as a guest judge.