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Paula Abdul

Born in San Fernando, CA

Paula Abdul's Genre:

Dance-Pop, Adult Contemporary, Club/Dance, Urban, R&B, Electronic

Biography

In the wake of Madonna's success, many dance-pop divas filled the charts, but out of them all, Paula Abdul was the only one who sustained a career. The former L.A. Lakers cheerleader and choreographer began to make inroads in pop music when she was hired as an assistant dance director on the Jacksons' Victory tour, which led to a job choreographing Janet Jackson's videos for Control. Abdul's work on Jackson's videos helped make the album a hit, making her a sought-after choreographer. After working on The Tracy Ullman Show and videos for ZZ Top, Duran Duran, and the Pointer Sisters, Abdul began a recording career, releasing her debut album, Forever Your Girl, in 1988. The first two singles drawn from the record were moderate hits, but the release of "Straight Up" at the end of the year made her a superstar. Staying at the top of the charts for three weeks, "Straight Up" began a string of six number one singles (with "The Way That You Love Me" recharting at number three in 1989) that ran through the summer of 1991.

Abdul's singles were hits not because her singing was exceptional -- her voice is thin and transparent -- but because she worked with savvy producers who had a knack for picking songs with solid pop and dance hooks. Abdul's spectacular big-budget videos helped push the sales of Forever Your Girl past seven million in the U.S. alone. While her second album, 1991's Spellbound, wasn't as successful, it still sold over three million copies and spent two weeks at number one.

After Spellbound, Abdul took a few years off. During that time, she successfully fought a lawsuit filed by a former backup singer who alleged it was she, not Abdul, who had sung on Forever Your Girl. Abdul released her third studio effort, Head Over Heels, in the summer of 1995, but the album failed to match the success of its two predecessors. The singer withdrew from the spotlight for several years before resurfacing in 2000 to co-write "Spinning Around" for Kylie Minogue. Debuting at the top of the charts in Australia and the U.K., the single effectively relaunched Minogue's career, and Abdul experienced a similar surge in popularity when she joined the judging panel of American Idol in 2002. Her positive comments and erratic behavior made her a household name to millions of young T.V. viewers who hadn't grown up with Abdul's music. Rumors began to circulate in 2007 about Abdul's return to the studio, and a statement on her website in January 2008 confirmed them, promising a new Abdul album by that summer. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

AOL Radio Stations Paula Abdul is Featured on (7)

'80s Hits

80's Hits takes the biggest hits from the decade of big hair and music videos and puts it together on one station. From the new wave of Duran Duran, to the arena rock of Def Leppard, from the end of disco to the beginning of hip hop (remember Tone Loc?), it's all on 80's Hits.

Soft Hits

Soft Hits on Slacker Radio is the best blend of softer current and classic hits. You’ll hear Kelly Clarkson, Rob Thomas and Gwen Stefani along with Sheryl Crow, Goo Goo Dolls, Mariah Carey, Prince and more.

Disco

Wildly popular in clubs and on radio from the early '70s through the early '80s, Disco on Slacker Radio revisits the divas, supergroups, one-hit wonders, producers and DJ's that made you want to dance.

Love Songs

Love Songs on Slacker Radio has just the right blend of sentimental favorites. Set the mood with artists like Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Elton John, Mariah Carey, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder plus classic romantic favorites. Listen and fall in love with Slacker Love Songs.

Classic Hits

Classic Hits on Slacker plays the greatest pop and rock hits of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

'90s Hits

Are you nostalgic for flannel shirts, girl power, and the days of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake as an item? '90s Hits on Slacker Radio takes you back with all your favorite Soft Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop and Alternative songs that made the decade hella sweet!

Paula Abdul

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bangles, Gloria Estefan, Wham!, Culture Club, Pat Benatar and more.

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Paula Abdul's Selected Discography (10)

Artists Related to Paula Abdul (50)

	Madonna	After stars reach a certain point, it's easy to forget what they became famous for and concentrate solely on their personas.
	Cyndi Lauper	Cyndi Lauper was one of the biggest stars of the early MTV era, selling five million copies of her debut album, She's So Unusual, as well as scoring a string of four Top Ten hits from the record, including the major hits "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time.
	Janet Jackson	Few celebrity siblings can emerge from the shadows of their already famous relations to become superstars in their own right and with their own distinct personalities.
	Michael Jackson	Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the '80s, and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.
	Prince	Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock.
	Bangles	The Bangles combined the chiming riffs and catchy melodies of British Invasion guitar pop with a hint of the energy of new wave.
	Gloria Estefan	As one of the biggest new stars to emerge during the mid-'80s, singer Gloria Estefan predated the coming Latin pop explosion by a decade, scoring a series of propulsive dance hits rooted in the rhythms of her native Cuba before shifting her focus to softer, more ballad-oriented fare.
	Wham!	Wham! sparked something of a pop revival in the mid-'80s and could arguably be held responsible for sparking off the boy band trend of the '90s.
	Culture Club	Few new wave groups were as popular as Culture Club. During the early '80s, the group racked up seven straight Top Ten hits in the U.
	Pat Benatar	Pat Benatar's polished mainstream pop/rock made her one of the more popular female vocalists of the early '80s.
	Duran Duran	Duran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience. And for good reason, too. Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion-model looks and glamorous sense of style.
	Bobby Brown	One of the brightest R&B stars of the late '80s and early '90s, Bobby Brown was the performer who popularized new jack swing, a blend of classic soul, synth-funk, and hip-hop rhythms that often featured rap breaks in between the conventionally melodic verses and choruses.
	Milli Vanilli	Milli Vanilli. The mere mention of the name still calls up the same derision it did when the dance-pop duo's career came to a sudden and ignominious end: Fakers.
	Phil Collins	Phil Collins' ascent to the status of one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond was probably as much of a surprise to him as it was to many others.
	Bryan Adams
	Bon Jovi	After ushering in the era of pop-metal with their 1986 blockbuster Slippery When Wet and its hit singles “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and “Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi wound up transcending the big-haired ‘80s, withstanding changes in style and sound to become one of the biggest American rock bands of their time, selling over 120 million albums worldwide, and sustaining their popularity well into the new millennium.
	Heart	Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are the creative spark behind Heart, a hard rock group who initially found success in the mid-'70s only to reach greater heights after engineering a major comeback a decade later.
	Hall & Oates	From their first hit in 1974 through their heyday in the '80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth, catchy take on Philly soul brought them enormous commercial success -- including six number one singles and six platinum albums -- yet little critical success.
	Lionel Richie	After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists of the '80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday only by Michael Jackson and Prince.
	Richard Marx	Before he became a pop/rock heavyweight during the late '80s (and an adult contemporary balladeer throughout the following two decades), Richard Marx sang on commercials and performed as a backing vocalist for Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, and Julio Iglesias.
	Chicago	According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles.
	Rick Springfield	Although Rick Springfield's music was frequently dismissed as vapid teen idol fare, his best moments have actually withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined, emerging as some of the best-crafted mainstream power pop of the 1980s.
	Journey	During their initial 14 years of existence (1973-1987), Journey altered their musical approach and their personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band.
	Men at Work	Men at Work were one of the more surprising success stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the year.
	George Michael	George Michael was the biggest British pop star of the 1980s, spinning a series of infectiously catchy pop singles into global stardom that saw him sell over 100 million albums worldwide.
	Debbie Gibson	Debbie Gibson became a pop phenomenon in the late '80s, scoring a string of hit singles when she was only 17.
	Billy Joel	Although Billy Joel never was a critic's favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the '70s.
	Whitney Houston	Whitney Houston was inarguably one of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker were extraordinary; just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You" became nothing less than the biggest hit single in rock history.
	Taylor Dayne	Dance-pop diva Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wonderman) had a remarkably quick ascent to stardom in the late '80s, sailing into the Top Ten with her first single, "Tell It to My Heart.
	Genesis	Genesis started life as a progressive rock band, in the manner of Yes and King Crimson, before a series of membership changes brought about a transformation in their sound, into one of the most successful pop/rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s.
	Ace of Base	Comprised of vocalists Jenny Berggren and Linn Berggren, and keyboardists Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf "Buddah" Ekberg, the Swedish quartet Ace of Base became a phenomenally popular international act with their 1993 debut album, The Sign.
	Huey Lewis	Huey Lewis & the News were a bar band that made good. With their simple, straightforward rock & roll, the San Francisco-based group became one of America's most popular pop/rock bands of the mid-'80s.
	Aerosmith	Aerosmith were one of the most popular hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger.
	Billy Idol	Along with Duran Duran, Billy Idol was one the first pop/rock artists to achieve massive success in the early '80s due to a then brand-new U.
	Rod Stewart	Over the course of his career, Rod Stewart has had it all. He's been lauded as the finest singer of his generation, he's written several songs that turned into modern standards, he sang with the Faces, who rivaled the Rolling Stones in their prime, he had massive commercial success.
	Stevie Nicks	Famed for her mystical chanteuse image, singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks enjoyed phenomenal success not only as a solo artist but also as a key member of Fleetwood Mac.
	Fleetwood Mac	While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few groups experienced such radical stylistic changes as Fleetwood Mac.
	The Police	Nominally, the Police were punk rock, but that's only in the loosest sense of the term. The trio's nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky, but it wasn't necessarily punk.
	Exposé	Famous for Latin-flavored dance-pop as well as for adult contemporary ballads, the female vocal trio Exposé enjoyed a great deal of commercial success in the '80s and early '90s.
	Olivia Newton-John	Olivia Newton-John skillfully made the transition from popular country-pop singer to popular mainstream soft rock singer, becoming one of the most successful vocalists of the '70s in the process.
	Kool & the Gang	Formed as a jazz ensemble in the mid-'60s, Kool & the Gang became one of the most inspired and influential funk units during the '70s, and one of the most popular R&B groups of the '80s after their breakout hit "Celebration" in 1979.
	The Pointer Sisters	The Pointer Sisters were as chameleonic as David Bowie, if not more so. The sibling group backed Grace Slick and Boz Scaggs, made stops at Sesame Street and the Grand Ole Opry, won a country Grammy, and appeared in the movie Car Wash, all before scoring four consecutive Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 hits in the mid-‘80s.
	Kenny Loggins	Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kenny Loggins has enjoyed more than three decades of success in the music business, as a songwriter and performer, mostly in a soft rock vein.
	Tiffany	In addition to scoring several big bubblegum pop hits in the late '80s, teen queen Tiffany also helped pave the way for the decade's ultimate (and most successful) teenybopper band, the New Kids on the Block.
	INXS	INXS hailed from the pubs of Australia, which is part of the reason the band never comfortably fit in with new wave.
	Pebbles	Although dance-pop singer Pebbles scored several hit singles on her own during the '80s, she has become best-known as the manager (and creator) of one of the genre's biggest hit machines the following decade.
	Foreigner	While quite a few arena rock acts of the '70s found the transformation into the '80s quite difficult, several acts continued to flourish and enjoyed some of their biggest commercial success: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, and especially Foreigner.
	Jody Watley	Grammy Award-winning vocalist/producer/songwriter Jody Watley made a name for herself with the dance-soul trio Shalamar before embarking on a solo career that would bring her numerous Top Ten hits and a reputation as "The Queen of Cool.
	Def Leppard	In many ways, Def Leppard were the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder (and were more dangerous) than the Sheffield-based quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well.
	Color Me Badd	This vocal quartet formed as high school students in Oklahoma City before relocating to New York. They proved adept at both churning dance tunes and sincere ballads.