Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, and television personality. Raised in Southern California, she studied at California State University, Northridge, and gained early prominence as a choreographer for music videos and concert tours. Abdul launched a recording career with the album *Forever Your Girl* (1988), which produced multiple Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, including “Straight Up” and “Opposites Attract.” She later released *Spellbound* (1991). Abdul became widely known to television audiences as an original judge on *American Idol* (2002–2009) and later appeared as a judge on *The X Factor* and *So You Think You Can Dance*.