Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) 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. After choreographing music videos for Janet Jackson, Abdul became a prominent choreographer during the music video era and was subsequently signed to Virgin Records. Abdul's debut studio album, "Forever Your Girl" (1988), became one of the most successful debut albums of its time, selling seven million copies in the United States and setting a record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from a debut album with "Straight Up," "Forever Your Girl," "Cold Hearted," and "Opposites Attract." Her second album, "Spellbound" (1991), produced the number-one singles "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day." With six number-one singles on the Hot 100, Abdul tied with Diana Ross for the third-most chart-toppers among female solo artists at the time. As of 2025, she ranks seventh, alongside Diana Ross and Lady Gaga, for the most number-one singles by female artists in the United States. 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 has received choreography credits for 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). Abdul has received 17 MTV Video Music Award nominations, winning five, and won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract" in 1991. She earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography twice for her work on "The Tracey Ullman Show" and her performance at the American Music Awards in 1990. Abdul has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is the first entertainer to receive the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards' Hall of Fame Award. Studio albums Forever Your Girl (1988) Spellbound (1991) Head over Heels (1995) <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Paula+Abdul">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.