Paula Julie Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul , born June 19, 1962, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at age 18 and later became the lead 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 shortly thereafter was signed to Virgin Records. After a time, Abdul wanted to make music herself and she set out to do so. Abdul would approach artists and ask them if they wanted to exchange. Abdul would do the choreography of a video and then the artist would write a song for her. At first, things were a bit rough, as the songs did not catch on with the public, but with the release of ''Straight Up'', success soon followed. Eventually with the release of her debut studio album Forever Your Girl, which came out in 1988, things took off all the way. It became one of the most successful debut albums of the time, selling 7 million copies in the United States and setting a record for most number one singles from a debut album on the Billboard Hot 100.