Paula Abdul

Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality born on June 19, 1962, in San Fernando, California. Raised in a Jewish family by her father Harry and mother Lorraine, she took early lessons in ballet, jazz, and tap, inspired by Gene Kelly. She attended Van Nuys High School and later studied broadcasting at California State University, Northridge. In 1980, she became a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, advancing to head choreographer for the Laker Girls within a year and remaining with them until 1986.

Abdul was discovered by the Jacksons during a Lakers game and was hired to choreograph the video for their single Torture. Her success led to choreographing the Jacksons' Victory tour and several music videos for Janet Jackson, including Nasty and Control. She also choreographed scenes for films including Big, The Running Man, Coming to America, and later American Beauty. After saving money to record a demo, Abdul signed a recording contract with Virgin Records in 1987.

In 1988, Abdul released her debut studio album, Forever Your Girl. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 after 64 weeks and produced four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: Straight Up, Forever Your Girl, Cold Hearted, and Opposites Attract. The album was certified seven times platinum by the RIAA, and its remix album, Shut Up and Dance: Mixes, reached number seven in the United States. She also won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video for Opposites Attract.

Abdul released her second studio album, Spellbound, in 1991, which featured the number-one singles Rush Rush and The Promise of a New Day. The album sold seven million copies worldwide, and she promoted it through the Under My Spell Tour. With six Hot 100 chart-toppers, she tied Diana Ross for the third-most number-one singles among female solo artists at that time. Her third studio album, Head over Heels, was released in 1995, reaching number 18 on the Billboard 200 and featuring the single My Love Is for Real. During the late 1990s, she released exercise videos and continued choreographing film and theater productions.

In 2002, Abdul joined the reality competition series American Idol as an original judge alongside Simon Cowell, earning praise as a sympathetic mentor. She remained on the show through its eighth season before departing in 2009. During her tenure on American Idol, she launched a jewelry line on QVC in 2007, starred in the 2007 Bravo reality series Hey Paula, and returned to the music charts with singles such as Dance Like There's No Tomorrow in 2008 and I'm Just Here for the Music in 2009.

Following her departure from American Idol, Abdul appeared as a judge or guest judge on television shows including The X Factor, Live to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Masked Dancer. Over the course of her career, Abdul received two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography and five MTV Video Music Awards from 17 nominations. She was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and became the first entertainer to receive the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards' Hall of Fame Award.