Paula Abdul

Paula Julie Abdul is an American dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter, 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 highly respected choreographer at the height of the music video era and soon thereafter she was signed to Virgin Records. Her debut studio album Forever Your Girl (1988) became the most successful debut album in history at that time, selling 7 million copies in the United States and setting a record for the most number-one singles from a debut album on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract". Abdul saw continued commercial success with her second studio album Spellbound (1991) and its accompanying world tour, which saw two additional number-one singles: "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day". Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for seventh among the female solo performers who have topped the chart. After her initial period of success, Abdul entered a brief hiatus to seek treatment for personal and physical issues and returned with her third studio album Head over Heels (1995), which saw only moderate success and became her lowest-selling release.