Before she became one-third of the American Idol judges trio, Paula Abdul was a triple-threat in her own right. Abdul choreographed for none other than Janet Jackson before embarking on a successful solo career in the late ‘80s, contributed lyrics to jumpstart the career of Kylie Minogue in 2000, and joined the American Idol panel in 2002.Paula Abdul has maintained a successful career in the face of an industry with a short attention span. Abdul was a Lakers cheerleader before landing her dream job choreographing Janet Jackson's video for "Control." The star choreographer (who worked on videos for Duran Duran, the Pointer Sisters and ZZ Top) was also an aspiring singer; Abdul released her debut album, Forever Your Girl, in 1988 and scored with dance single "Straight Up," which topped the charts for three weeks and paved the way for her next successful single "The Way That You Love Me." What Abdul lacked in vocals she made up for by providing pop and dance tracks supported by big-budget music videos and the choreographer-turned-popstar soon became America's sweetheart.In 1991 Abdul released her sophomore album Spellbound, which sold over three million copies despite being a minor success in comparison to her debut release. Abdul's third album Head Over Heels proved unsuccessful in 1995 and prompted the singer to refocus her career; Abdul co-wrote "Spinning Around" for aspiring songstress Kylie Minogue which helped to relaunch Minogue's career as well as restore the industry's confidence in Abdul. The industry veteran was slated on the American Idol judges' panel alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson and soon resumed her role as America's sweetheart as a new generation embraced Abdul not for her music or choreography but for her likable personality. After a Bravo reality show and some curious antics on American Idol, fans continue to champion Paula Abdul, who confirmed rumors of a new album on her website in 2008.
