Nicki Minaj doesn't think starships are meant to fly. During her New Year's Eve performance at Miami nightclub E11EVEN, the rapper announced that she would no longer perform "Starships" at the show - after teasing the audience with her 2012 hit, which she called "silly."
As seen in a video that went viral on TikTok, Minaj began performing the first few lines of "Starships" and quickly let the audience take over before cutting off the track entirely. "Hang on, hold on. Mental, mental, mental, mental," she told the audience. "I'm not performing that song anymore, y'all."
After fans despaired for a few seconds, Minaj explained the reasoning behind her sudden decision. "I don't like it, what do you want me to do?" she asked, calling it a "stupid song."
The audience didn't have much time to process their disappointment, as she immediately turned to her 2010 hit "Super Bass," which received a standing ovation.
"Why should I do this?"
While Minaj's dislike of "Starships" may come as a shock to many fans, she actually talked about making the song in a 2020 interview with Pollstar Live . "I hate 'Starships,' I mean uh, 'Starships?'" she said. “I thought, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I think that every time I hear that.”
The song was released in February 2012 and at its peak peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In fact, she's been vocal about not liking certain songs in her repertoire, such as her 2014 hit "Anaconda" and 2010's "Your Love." "I wish I had never recorded 'Anaconda.' I love the video, but eh," she said in the same interview. "My first solo song on Billboard was 'Your Love.' To this day, I love the video, but I hate the song. I could go on and on. "
Despite these feelings, Minaj still included "Anaconda" during her Video Vanguard performance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, suggesting that it may not meet a similar fate to "Starships" in terms of performances.
Minaj will embark on the Pink Friday 2 world tour starting in March, her first tour in more than five years to promote her fifth studio album. Only time will tell if she changes her mind and takes "Starship" off her playlist.
