Biography
Following Madonna's breakthrough, numerous dance-pop vocalists populated the hit parade, yet only Paula Abdul built lasting momentum from the pack. An ex-cheerleader for the L.A. Lakers who later turned to choreography, she launched her recording run in 1989 when "Straight Up" climbed to the summit of Billboard's Hot 100; that track became the first of four number-one singles pulled from her 1988 debut album Forever Your Girl, joined by "Forever Your Girl," "Cold Hearted," and "Opposites Attract," each of which earned RIAA gold status. The same run of success opened the door to her later role as a judge on American Idol, the singing competition that debuted in 2002 and kept her in the public eye for the rest of the decade.
Her first steps into the pop arena came when she was brought on as assistant dance director for the Jacksons' Victory tour, an assignment that led directly to choreographing Janet Jackson's clips for Control. Those visuals helped turn the album into a major seller and established Abdul as a choreographer in demand. Subsequent assignments included The Tracy Ullman Show along with videos for ZZ Top, Duran Duran, and the Pointer Sisters before she stepped in front of the microphone herself, issuing Forever Your Girl in 1988. Its opening singles, "Knocked Out" and "The Way That You Love Me," failed to reach the Top 40, but the arrival of "Straight Up" late that year transformed her into a star. The song held the top spot for three weeks and initiated a streak of six number-one hits—counting the 1989 re-chart of "The Way That You Love Me" at number three—that stretched into the summer of 1991. The final pair, "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day," both appeared on her sophomore set Spellbound, released in summer 1991 after the 1990 remix collection Shut Up and Dance had bridged the gap between the two albums. Spellbound ultimately reached triple-platinum certification and added three more hits: "Blowing Kisses in the Wind," which climbed to number six, plus "Vibeology" and "Will You Marry Me?"
Following a three-year break, Abdul returned with Head Over Heels in summer 1995. Although the album achieved gold status, its lone Top 40 entry was "My Love Is for Real," after which she stepped away from recording to focus on television and film projects, among them choreographing the cheerleading scenes in Sam Mendes' 1999 Academy Award-winning American Beauty. She reentered music circles in 2000 as co-writer of "Spinning Around," the Australian and U.K. chart-topper that revived Kylie Minogue's career.
Abdul reemerged in 2002 as one of the three original judges on American Idol, where she was positioned as the upbeat counterpoint to Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. During that period she issued only the compilation Greatest Hits: Straight Up!, guested on Randy Jackson's 2008 single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," and released her own 2009 track "I'm Just Here for the Music," with no new full-length album appearing. She exited American Idol in 2009 yet remained on reality television, serving as mentor and coach on CBS' Live to Dance in 2011 and reuniting with Cowell for a season of the American X-Factor. She later judged the All-Star edition of Dancing with the Stars and, in 2013, joined So You Think You Can Dance before crossing over to its Australian counterpart.
Her first steps into the pop arena came when she was brought on as assistant dance director for the Jacksons' Victory tour, an assignment that led directly to choreographing Janet Jackson's clips for Control. Those visuals helped turn the album into a major seller and established Abdul as a choreographer in demand. Subsequent assignments included The Tracy Ullman Show along with videos for ZZ Top, Duran Duran, and the Pointer Sisters before she stepped in front of the microphone herself, issuing Forever Your Girl in 1988. Its opening singles, "Knocked Out" and "The Way That You Love Me," failed to reach the Top 40, but the arrival of "Straight Up" late that year transformed her into a star. The song held the top spot for three weeks and initiated a streak of six number-one hits—counting the 1989 re-chart of "The Way That You Love Me" at number three—that stretched into the summer of 1991. The final pair, "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day," both appeared on her sophomore set Spellbound, released in summer 1991 after the 1990 remix collection Shut Up and Dance had bridged the gap between the two albums. Spellbound ultimately reached triple-platinum certification and added three more hits: "Blowing Kisses in the Wind," which climbed to number six, plus "Vibeology" and "Will You Marry Me?"
Following a three-year break, Abdul returned with Head Over Heels in summer 1995. Although the album achieved gold status, its lone Top 40 entry was "My Love Is for Real," after which she stepped away from recording to focus on television and film projects, among them choreographing the cheerleading scenes in Sam Mendes' 1999 Academy Award-winning American Beauty. She reentered music circles in 2000 as co-writer of "Spinning Around," the Australian and U.K. chart-topper that revived Kylie Minogue's career.
Abdul reemerged in 2002 as one of the three original judges on American Idol, where she was positioned as the upbeat counterpoint to Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. During that period she issued only the compilation Greatest Hits: Straight Up!, guested on Randy Jackson's 2008 single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," and released her own 2009 track "I'm Just Here for the Music," with no new full-length album appearing. She exited American Idol in 2009 yet remained on reality television, serving as mentor and coach on CBS' Live to Dance in 2011 and reuniting with Cowell for a season of the American X-Factor. She later judged the All-Star edition of Dancing with the Stars and, in 2013, joined So You Think You Can Dance before crossing over to its Australian counterpart.
Albums
15
2018
Greatest Hits - Straight Up!
2007
Greatest Hits
2000
Head Over Heels
1995
Spellbound
1991
Shut Up And Dance (The Dance Mixes)
1990
Forever Your Girl
1988
Singles
