Pop singer/dancer Paula Abdul was born in the Los Angeles area in 1962. After college she pursued a career as a choreographer and dancer, and worked for a time as an L.A. Lakers cheerleader. As her choreography career grew -- she worked with Janet Jackson, Duran Duran and the "Tracy Ullman Show" during the mid-1980s -- Abdul used her industry contacts to land a record contract with Virgin. Her 1988 debut Forever Your Girl languished at first, but after the success of the No. 1 single "Straight Up" in 1989 the record took off. It sold more than 10 million copies and spawned three more No. 1 singles: "Cold Hearted," "Opposites Attract" and "Forever Your Girl." After overcoming legal difficulties Abdul released her 1991 follow-up Spellbound, which went multi-platinum and produced the No. 1 singles "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day." Following a short-lived marriage to actor Emilio Estevez, Abdul released 1995's Head Over Heels and married Brad Beckerman in 1996. A greatest hits compilation is in the works, as well as a new album for an unspecified label.
