Paula Abdul
From LoveToKnow Music
Paula Abdul, the judge who is bound to love your singing on American Idol, brings to the table her experience as a top-selling pop artist and respected choreographer. Her career has been a series of successful highs peppered with tabloid scandal.
Early Life
Abdul was born Paula Julie Abdul on June 19, 1962, in San Fernando, CA. Her distinctive appearance has lead to much speculation about her exact racial heritage. Her father is Syrian-Brazilian and her mother Canadian, though many assume her to be African-American. As a child, she was an enthusiastic dancer, and while a student at California State University at Northridge, she auditioned to become part of the Laker Girls squad. She was chosen over 700 other applicants.
Choreography Career
It was while dancing for the L.A. Lakers in 1984 that Abdul was discovered by member of the Jackson family and hired to choreograph an upcoming video for their album Victory. With the rising popularity of the new music video medium in the 1980s, Abdul’s services as a choreographer were soon in high demand. She was Janet Jackson’s primary choreographer, and appeared in several videos with her. Abdul also choreographed videos for Prince, INXS, Duran Duran, and Dolly Parton, among others.
In addition to choreographing music videos, Abdul has also worked on several films and television programs. In 1989, she won an Emmy for her choreography work on the Tracey Ullman Show. She choreographed the dance scenes from the film American Beauty.
Music Career
Abdul’s music career began with a self-funded demo recording in 1987. She signed to Virgin Records, and in 1988, she released Forever Your Girl. The album was an instant success, going platinum several times over and including five US top 5 singles, including one of her best known songs, Straight Up. Forever Your Girl was remixed to become the album Shut Up and Dance, which went to number 7 in the US album charts.
Her second release, Spellbound, came out in 1991. This album also became multi-platinum. Rush Rush, the first single from the album, spent five weeks atop the US singles charts.
Just before the release of Spellbound, one of Abdul’s back-up singers, Yvette Marine, sued Virgin Records. Marine charged that Virgin had blended her vocals with Abdul’s lead vocals without credit. Virgin disputed the case and a jury dismissed the claim.
After Spellbound, Abdul took a beating in the press over claims she had developed a weight problem and was lampooned by many late night comic shows. She withdrew from public life for a few years, returning in 1995 to admit she had a history of bulimia dating back to her teens.
Also in 1995, Abdul released her third album, Head Over Heels. The album spawned one number 1 single on the dance charts, My Love is for Real, but it failed to make the same impact on the mainstream pop charts her previous efforts had.
American Idol
Abdul has been a member of the American Idol judging team since the show’s 2002 beginning. She is known for being extremely supportive to the contestants. Some charge she is unrealistically supportive, refusing to criticize poor performances. She is also famous for her constant bickering with Simon Cowell on the show over his own highly critical approach to judging.
Some began to view Abdul’s on-air behavior as erratic and rumors began to circulate about drug or alcohol abuse. In 2004, she came forward to explain her behavior was due to her recent treatment for reflex sympathetic disorder, a condition related to intense join pain after an injury.
Corey Clark, a contestant on season 2 of American Idol, claimed on a 2005 episode of Primetime Live that he had had an affair with Abdul while he was a contestant on the show. Fox, American Idol’s network, launched an investigation and concluded there was no evidence to substantiate Clark’s claim.
Other Projects
Abdul is reported to be working with her fellow American Idol judge Randy Jackson on a forth album. She also works as a correspondent on Entertainment Tonight.
Personal Life
Abdul was married to actor Emilio Estevez from 1992 – 1994. Her second marriage was to Brad Beckerman, a clothing manufacturer. That marriage also lasted two years, from 1996 – 1998. She has subsequently been linked to a number of different men, including model Dante Spencer.
In a 2006 Valentine’s Day television special, Abdul allowed Dr. Phil to set her up on two dates and give her advice about her love life.
Related Links
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