Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul

Paula Julie Abdul ( /ˈæbduːl/; born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.

In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for sixth among the female solo performers who have reached No. 1 there. She won a Grammy for "Best Music Video – Short Form" for "Opposites Attract" and twice won the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography".

After her initial period of success, she suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life, until she found renewed fame and success in the early years of the 21st century as a judge on the television series American Idol for eight years, before departing from the show. She then starred on CBS's short-lived television series Live to Dance, which lasted one season in 2011, and was subsequently a judge on the first season of American version of The X Factor with her former American Idol co-judge Simon Cowell, which premiered on September 21, 2011.