Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul

American pop singer
Date of Birth: 19.06.1962
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Biography of Paula Abdul
  2. Rise to Fame
  3. Controversies and Career Challenges
  4. Later Life and Personal Life

Biography of Paula Abdul

Early Life and Career

Paula Abdul is an American pop singer who rose to fame in just a few months, spreading her popularity from California to the rest of the world. Her father was a Syrian immigrant from Brazil, while her mother was of Franco-Canadian Jewish descent. This diverse heritage is reflected in Paula Abdul's appearance. After finishing school, Paula surprised many by turning down a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School, instead enrolling in a college in Northridge. She then auditioned for and became a cheerleader for The Lakers basketball team. For the next three years, Paula Abdul worked in local theater groups, performing in musicals and dance dramas in summer theaters and open-air venues. In the early 1980s, she began studying under renowned choreographer and director Joseph Tremaine, who invited her to join The Bell Lewitzki Company, a contemporary dance troupe. By the middle of the decade, Paula had earned a reputation in Hollywood and started receiving invitations to choreograph dances for various pop stars as well as work on films.

Paula Abdul

Rise to Fame

One of Paula Abdul's first major successes came in late 1985 when she directed music videos for Janet Jackson's album Control. The following year, Abdul directed a video for Tracy Ullman, and went on to work with George Michael, Michael Hutchence (INXS), Dolly Parton, Debbie Gibson, Luther Vandross, Duran Duran, ZZ TOP, and choreographed dances for films such as Dragnet, Coming to America, and later for The Doors directed by Oliver Stone. In 1987, MTV named her "choreographer of the year." That same year, Jordan Harris from A&M Records (with whom Paula had worked on Janet's videos) opened the American branch of Virgin Records. The first artists he signed were Steve Winwood and Paula Abdul. Although her initial singles did not gain much attention, by 1989-1990, songs from her album Forever Your Girl, such as "Straight Up" (which reached number 3 in the UK), "Forever Your Girl," "Cold Hearted," and "Opposites Attract" (which she co-wrote with Jerry Leiber's son, Oliver), topped the American charts. Within a few months, Paula Abdul's popularity spread from California to the rest of the world. She appeared in numerous interviews, collaborated with other artists, and went on tour.

Paula Abdul

Controversies and Career Challenges

In January 1990, due to voice problems, Abdul had to prematurely end her tour with Tone Loc and Milli Vanilli. The scandal that destroyed Milli Vanilli's career also affected her when the backing vocalist Yvette Marine claimed that she had sung the majority of the vocal parts on Abdul's hits from Forever Your Girl. It took a two-year legal battle before Paula was cleared of these allegations. In the spring of 1991, in the absence of new material, Virgin released a remix album called Shut Up and Dance, which also achieved platinum status. During this time, Abdul regularly appeared in the gossip columns, received numerous awards, recorded a track for the charity album For Our Children, released by Disney to benefit children affected by AIDS, and helped design a line of sports shoes for L.A. Gear. Her third album, which was almost as successful as her first, was released in June 1991. It included songs by Prince and John Hiatt, as well as two more hits, "Rush Rush" and the title track "Spellbound." The song "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" also charted. After a four-year hiatus, filled with routine work such as touring and filming, Abdul released her fourth album, Head Over Hills, in June 1995. However, this album did not match the success of her previous ones, with the only notable track being a duet with Ofra Haza called "My Love Is For Real."

Paula Abdul

Later Life and Personal Life

In February 1996, Paula Abdul made a guest appearance on the remake of the famous children's show Muppets Tonight! In November of the same year, she married businessman and millionaire Brad Dackerman, marking her second marriage.

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