paula julie abdul (; born june 19, 1962) is an american singer and dancer. she had a string of hit songs and choreographed (planned) many dances for herself and others, including singer-songwriter janet jackson. musically, she is known for her late-1980s number-one singles "straight up" and "cold hearted", along with the 1990s number-one hit "opposites attract". she won a grammy award for "best music video – short form" for "opposites attract". she was a judge on the television show "american idol" for its first eight seasons. she has a mezzo-soprano vocal range.