Who is Paula Abdul?
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographer for the Laker Girls, where she was discovered by the Jacksons. After choreographing music videos for Janet Jackson, Abdul became a choreographer at the height of the music video era and was soon signed to Virgin Records. Her debut studio album, Forever Your Girl (1988), became one of the most successful debut albums at the time, selling seven million copies in the United States, breaking the record for the most number-one singles from a debut album on the Billboard Hot 100. graphic: “Target”, “Your Forever Girl”, “Cold-Hearted” and “Opposites Attract”. Her second album, Spellbound (1991), produced two more chart-topping albums: “Rush Rush” and “The Promise of a New Day”. With six number-one singles on the Hot 100, Abdul tied Diana Ross for the third most chart-topping hits among female solo artists at the time.
Abdul was one of the original judges on the television series American Idol from 2002 to 2009 and has since appeared as a judge on The X Factor, Live to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Masked Dancer. He received choreography credits in many films, including She Can’t Buy Me Love (1987), The Running Man (1987), Coming to America (1988), Action Jackson (1988), The Doors (1991), and Jerry Maguire (1996). and American Beauty (1999). He was nominated for 17 MTV Video Music Awards, winning five, and received the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 1991 for “Opposites Attract.” She is a two-time recipient of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work on The Tracey Ullman Show. and his performance at the American Music Awards in 1990. Abdul was honored with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and became the first entertainer to be honored with the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Hall of Fame Award.
Paula Abdul Wiki – Paula Abdul Biography
Abdul was born in San Fernando, California. He is Jewish: his father, Harry Abdul, is of Syrian Jewish descent and was born in Aleppo, Syria, grew up in Brazil, and immigrated to the United States. His mother, Lorraine (Rykiss), was a concert pianist of Jewish descent from Minnedosa, Manitoba. Abdul has an older sister named Wendy. An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a career in show business by Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain.
Abdul started taking ballet, jazz, and tap dance lessons at a young age. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a cheerleader and honor roll student. At 15, she won a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, and in 1978 she starred in the low-budget independent musical film Junior High School. She graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1980. Abdul studied broadcasting at California State University, Northridge. During her freshman year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates to join the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team (the famous Laker Girls). Within a year she became the chief choreographer. She remained with the Laker Girls until 1986.
Name | Paula Abdul |
DOB | June 19, 1962 |
Full Name | Paula Julie Abdul |
Net Worth | $15 Million |
Age | 61 Years Old |
Currently, Live In | San Fernando, California, U.S |
Birth Place | San Fernando, California, U.S |
Profession | Actress |
Years Active | 1978–present |
Debut | Singer dancer-choreographer actress television personality |
Famous Role | Cheerleader |
Religion | Syrian Jewish |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Syrian Jewish |
Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
School/High School | Van Nuys High School |
College/University | California State University, Northridge |
Education Qualification | Graduate |
Paula Abdul Family – Husband – Children
Abdul married actor Emilio Estevez in 1992 and filed for divorce in 1994. In 1995, Abdul stated that the reason for their divorce was that he wanted children, while Estevez, who had two children from a previous relationship, did not want to. Abdul married clothing designer Brad Beckerman in 1996 at the New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut. After 17 months of marriage, they filed for divorce in 1998, citing irreconcilable differences.
Abdul is committed to his Jewish faith and proud of his heritage. He once said: “My father is a Syrian Jew whose family immigrated to Brazil. My mother is Canadian of Jewish origin. My dream is to go to Israel for a real vacation.” When Israeli Tourism Minister Isaac Herzog invited him to Israel in November 2006, Abdul responded with a hug and added: “I will come; you helped me realize a dream.” In 2013, at the age of 51, Abdul had his bat mitzvah in Safed, Israel, at the International Tzfat Kabbalah Center, a museum and spiritual retreat for the study of Kabbalah – Jewish mysticism. In 2003, Abdul was reported to be a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.
Abdul is a dog lover who raised awareness for National Guide Dog Month in May 2009 and has teamed up with Dick Van Patten to help blind people have more independence with the help of guide dogs. She doesn’t wear real fur.
Paula Abdul’s Career
Abdul was discovered by the Jacksons after several of the band members watched him attend a Los Angeles Lakers game. He signed on to choreograph the video for the single “Torture”. Abdul recalled that having to tell the Jacksons how to dance terrified her and stated that she was “not quite sure how she got through it.” The success of the choreography in the video led to Abdul’s career as a choreographer of music videos; especially Janet Jackson’s videos for “What Have You Done for Me Lately”, “Nasty”, “When I Think of You” and “Control”. Additionally, thanks to the video’s success, Abdul was chosen as the choreographer for the Jacksons’ Victory tour. Abdul also choreographed the sequences for the giant keyboard scene featuring Tom Hanks’ character in the movie Big (1988). Follow us on Twitter.
In 1987, Abdul used his savings to demo a song. Shortly thereafter, she signed with Janet Jackson to Virgin Records America, which had just been founded by Jeff Ayeroff, who worked in marketing at A&M Records. Although a talented dancer and choreographer, Abdul was a relatively untrained singer and worked with various coaches and record producers to hone his vocal talent. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Recalling that he signed a recording contract with Abdul years later, Ayeroff said: “He said, ‘I can sing, you know. I want to make an album.'” Paula is in our industry. She has a personality and is very beautiful if she can sing she can be a star. So she went into the studio and recorded a demo so she could sing.”
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