Paula Abdul Biography

Dancer, pop singer, choreographer. Paula Julie Abdul was born on June 19, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of Harry Abdul, owner of a sand and gravel business, and Lorraine Abdul, a pianist, Paula grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Abdul showed a passion for dance at an early age, and began taking lessons at eight years old. In addition to her dance classes, Abdul was a conscientious student. By the time she entered Van Nuys High School, she was an honor student and cheerleader. At 15, she received a scholarship to a Palm Springs dance camp, and appeared in the 1978 musical film Junior High School, with several other Van Nuys students.

After high school, Abdul continued her studies at California State University in Northridge, where she majored in communications. But dancing remained her biggest passion, and during her freshman year at CSU she was selected from more than 700 women to become a Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader. Within three months as a Laker Girl, Abdul was selected to be the group's head choreographer. She dropped out of CSU six months later to focus completely on her dance career. The move paid off, and soon Abdul's choreography caught the attention of The Jackson 5, who hired her as an assistant dance director for their Victory tour.

She quickly became a choreographer for the stars, including big names such as ZZ Top, George Michael, Duran Duran and Janet Jackson. After choreographing Janet Jackson's hit video Control, and earning an Emmy Award for her dance work on The Tracey Ullman Show, Abdul launched a recording career of her own. Thanks in no small part to talented producers and big-budget videos like Forever Your Girl, Abdul's debut album Straight Up made her into a bona fide star. She released her second album, Spellbound, in 1991 and her third, Head Over Heels, in 1995 with moderate success. By 2000, Abdul had sold in excess of 30 million records, released two No. 1 albums and six No. 1 singles, and won a Grammy Award. That year, Abdul decided to take a break from the music industry.

In 2002, Abdul stepped back into the spotlight as one of the three judges on the instantly popular television reality competition, American Idol, alongside producers Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. Abdul became the show's voice of optimism, often countering the dour and overly pessimistic Cowell. In addition to her role on Idol, Abdul also ran dance and cheerleading camps across the country.

In 2005, Abdul faced controversy when she was involved in a hit-and-run accident. According to reports, the star clipped another car but never stopped to assess the damage. She received a fine, and was sentenced to a two-year probation. That same year, reports surfaced that Abdul had engaged in a romantic relationship with a American Idol contestant Corey Clark while he was on the show. Abdul denied those allegations, along with accusations that the pop star was abusing drugs and alcohol.