Paula Abdul

A true MTV-era success story, Paula Abdul choreographed videos for several popular artists before becoming a pop star herself. Trained as a dancer, Paula Abdul had had little singing experience before recording 1988’s Forever Your Girl, and her vocals were widely panned. Nonetheless, the album sold 7 million copies domestically, thanks to catchy hooks, perky bubblegum-funk arrangements, and glossy videos that displayed Abdul's true strengths: her stylish, high-energy dance technique and plucky girl-next-door charm.

The second daughter of a French-Canadian mother and a father of Syrian and Brazilian extraction, Abdul began taking dance lessons when she was seven; at 10, she won a scholarship to study tap and jazz dancing. She captained her high school cheerleading squad, and while attending California State, Northridge, joined the Los Angeles Lakers’ cheerleaders; she eventually became head Laker girl. Her work was spotted by Jackie Jackson (with whom she later became romantically involved), who asked her to choreograph the Jacksons’ 1984 “Torture” video. She also befriended sister Janet Jackson and choreographed all of her Control videos (she makes a cameo as Janet’s girlfriend in “Nasty”). Abdul’s other clients have included the Pointer Sisters, ZZ Top, and Duran Duran, and she has choreographed for television (The Tracey Ullman Show) and films, most notably The Doors and American Beauty.

In the late ’80s Abdul signed to Virgin Records. The release of her debut album followed auspiciously on the heels of “Knocked Out,” a single that Abdul recorded for a Virgin sampler. That song became popular on R&B radio, but with Forever Your Girl, Abdul immediately crossed over into the pop stratosphere, topping the albums chart and producing four #1 singles: 1988’s “Straight Up” and, in 1989, “Forever Your Girl,” “Cold Hearted,” and “Opposites Attract” (with the Wild Pair). Another track, “(It’s Just) the Way That You Love Me,” went to #3.

Virgin capitalized on Abdul’s success by releasing an album of dance remixes of her hit songs in 1990. In 1991 she released Spellbound, an LP of new songs - some of them cowritten by Abdul, many written and produced by the New York–based R&B trio the Family Stand. (Other contributors included John Hiatt and Prince.) The album peaked at #1 and spawned the #1 singles “Rush, Rush” (Abdul’s first hit ballad) and “The Promise of a New Day,” “Blowing Kisses in the Wind” (#6, 1991), “Vibeology” (#16, 1992), and “Will You Marry Me” (#19, 1992). But legal troubles ensued when Yvette Marine, credited as a backup singer on Forever Your Girl, sued Virgin, alleging that her voice had been overdubbed on some of the album’s lead vocals. In 1993, a jury ruled in Virgin’s favor. Head Over Heels peaked at #18 on the pop album chart and included “My Love Is for Real” (#28, 1995), which featured backing vocals by Ofra Haza. In the mid- to late ’90s Abdul delved into acting, segueing from cameos playing herself on episodes of sitcoms to starring roles in TV movies.

In 2002, Paula Abdul landed a spot as judge in the astronomically successful TV talent show American Idol, where she played an adorable foil to her co-host Simon Cowell’s permanent frown.