American Idol has never been the same since Nicki Minaj took over judging for the twelfth season. The rapper from Trinidad has always danced to the beat of her own drum.
Her debut album, Pink Friday, made her the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard 100 at the same time. Roman Reloaded was her second album, and "Starships" became her highest-peaking song on the charts.
The reality-competition show American Idol has been one of the most successful shows on public television ever. Many major recording artists have come from the competition, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson. The current season has Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey and Keith Urban along with Minaj on the judging panel.
Love her or hate her, she has become one of the most controversial personalities on television currently and always gives people something to talk about.
Windy City Times: Hi, Nicki. Happy pink Monday to you.
Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
WCT: Since we are a gay publication in Chicago, did you have a favorite gay contestant from show?
Nicki Minaj: I definitely think Papa Peachez is the one that was probably the dearest to my heart only because I felt that he was such a superstar, but I don't think he really knew that yet. Whenever I meet someone where I feel like they don't really know their own worth it kind of bothers me. I just thought he was so exciting like I wanted to just see him perform his original music every week, but unfortunately as soon as he didn't perform the original music he kind of got overshadowed by all the other big singers.
WCT: Who do you see as frontrunners for winners?
Nicki Minaj: I would say Kree, Angie and Candice.
WCT: Any special reason for these three?
Nicki Minaj: I think that outside of their voices they've just sort of won people over already, which I think is evident in just what I see on Twitter with my fans. You know, those three singers have really, really made an impact not only with just a great voice that sounds like it should already be making albums but for some reason their personality seems to mean a lot of fans.
WCT: Speaking of fans, how do you feel about your new fans that you have won over from being on American Idol?
Nicki Minaj: I think God is good. I feel like my entire career and life I've been judged by people who really did not know me. I definitely think that they probably were right to assume what they had assumed about me because there was such little to go on out there. If you only see videos and me being crazy and hearing little things here and there then obviously you're not going to have any idea who I really am.
I'm just happy that the Idol producers gave me a shot on the show for me to be able to show who I really was because I feel like I'm every single woman. I really don't think outside of maybe some pink wigs that there's anything that separates me from every other women in America, so I'm just happy that I was given the opportunity. Some people don't get an opportunity to show the world who they really are. Some people come out and put an album out and people just never talk about them again, but I was given an opportunity to show who I was as a human being and I really appreciate that.
WCT: It seems like you are judging the entire package, from clothing to singing. Is that important to the performance?
Nicki Minaj: I think so. I mean, I don't think that ultimately it will have anything to do with them winning Idol because I feel like the Idol viewer is really not biased when it comes to the look. But I think that when you go out in to the real world as an artist you may want to think about it. I don't think there's anything wrong with thinking about how you want to look, how you want to present yourself to the world.
I also think that they need to hear criticism on their look on the show because that's what they're going to be criticized on in the real world. They're going to go out every single day and see themselves on the worst dressed list or best dressed list or saying they look bad or whatever so they need to start getting an idea of the real world.
WCT: Is it hard to say goodbye to contestants being eliminated?
Nicki Minaj: Yeah. I mean I was like gutted when Curtis left because I feel like Curtis had the best male voice for the entire season, and he was exciting. I couldn't wait to see him perform, and looking back now I wish we would have given him the save. I really do.
WCT: Since he left is there a chance a male will win?
Nicki Minaj: No—absolutely not.
WCT: Do you feel like you are just being yourself and the other judges are just reacting to you?
Nicki Minaj: I am absolutely just being me. I didn't know what to expect going in to the show. I was so nervous. I had a lot of anxiety. I felt like, "Okay. I know everybody's just going to hate me. Oh well." There were moments in the audition process that I would say to the producers, "I can't do this anymore because if everyone is going to give good critique and I'm going to be the only one being honest then America is going to hate me. I'm going to be seen as mean." The producers said, "Nicki, trust me. America is going to appreciate the honesty"—and that's all I had to go on.
WCT: The nicknames you give contestants are certainly entertaining.
Nicki Minaj: What people see me doing with the constants is exactly what I do with my fans. Well, I don't critique my fans but I definitely play with my fans and speak to my fans as if they're my friends, and that's why I started giving the contestants nicknames.
When I'm laughing on the show, I'm genuinely laughing. I can't come up there and pretend. I just can't do it. I can't be someone I'm not. I can't sit there with a phony smile on my face; I can't do it. I'm happy that people are responding well to it.
WCT: What did you learn about yourself from doing the show?
Nicki Minaj: I've been more surprised about the way people have reacted to me, because it almost seems like people weren't expecting artists to come up there as judges and be completely real, and that's the only thing that puzzled me. I just thought, "Hmm isn't that what we should be doing? Why is that so shocking to people?"
I mean I guess the other thing was I didn't realize that maybe I am a bit strange. Like when I asked Kree to marry me I didn't think that was strange, but I guess looking back at it now maybe no Idol judge has ever asked a contestant to marry them on live TV. I don't know. I guess, in general, I'm just surprised at the way people react to things that I see as very normal.
WCT: Would you do it again next season?
Nicki Minaj: Would I come back next season? I think people would rather be surprised. I like to save the mystery and the drama. I never give that away, but you know what I always say—and I mean this from the bottom of my heart—is that just the people behind the scenes at Idol have been just like a dream to work with and I really, really honestly mean that. Mike Darnell took a chance on me. Nobody else understood it. They were like, "Nicki who?" and he took a chance on me. He believed in me. His daughter and his wife believed in me, so I'm just super-grateful to have been given the opportunity.
WCT: Well, I look forward to seeing you back in Chicago. I saw you open for Britney Spears and solo at the Chicago Theatre. You are an awesome performer.
Nicki Minaj: Thank you.
American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Central on Fox.
