Music
Nicki Minaj Says Her Hit Song “Starships” Is Stupid
“I don’t like it, what y’all want me to do?”
Nicki Minaj doesn’t think that starships were meant to fly. During a New Year’s Eve performance at Miami’s E11EVEN nightclub, the rapper announced that she would no longer perform “Starships” at her shows — after teasing the crowd with her 2012 smash hit, which she called “stupid.”
As seen in a viral TikTok video, Minaj began performing the first few lines of “Starships” and quickly let the audience take over before cutting off the track completely. “Hold on. Psych, psych, psych, psych,” she told the audience. “I don’t perform that song no more, y’all.”
After a few seconds of despair from fans, Minaj explained the reasoning behind her abrupt decision. “I don’t like it, what y’all want me to do?” she asked, calling it a “stupid song.”
The crowd didn’t have much time to process their disappointment, as she immediately pivoted into her 2010 hit “Super Bass,” which was met with rapturous applause.
“Why Did I Do That?”
While Minaj’s dislike of “Starships” may come as a shock to many fans, she actually spoke about making the song in a 2020 interview with Pollstar Live. “I hate ‘Starships,’ I mean ew, ‘Starships?’” she said. “I’m like, ‘Why did I do that?’ I really think that every time I hear it.”
The song, which came out in February 2012, made it to the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 5 spot during its peak.
In fact, she’s been candid about disliking particular songs in her repertoire, such as her 2014 hit “Anaconda” and 2010’s “Your Love.” “I wish I never recorded ‘Anaconda.’ I like the video but ugh,” she said in the same interview. “My first ever solo song on Billboard was ‘Your Love.’ To this day, I like the video but I hate the song. I could go on and on.”
Despite her feelings, Minaj still included “Anaconda” in her Video Vanguard performance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, signaling that might not meet a similar fate as “Starships” when it comes to performances.
Minaj is set to embark on the Pink Friday 2 World Tour, her first trek in over five years, starting in March, in promotion of her fifth studio album. Only time will tell if she changes her mind about keeping “Starships” off her setlist.
