Nicki Minaj Storms Off ‘American Idol’ Set [Video]
The rumors of friction on the set of 'American Idol' were definitely true, as we saw last night. Nicki Minaj stormed off the set during the Charlotte auditions when the other three judges disregard her helpful advice for an auditioning contestant. Check out the video to see what set her off.
When 20-year-old Summer Cunningham sang 'Lean on Me' with a noticeable twang in her voice, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson all said she should pursue country music, even though she indicated she wanted to move beyond that genre. Minaj sat silently with a scowl on her face during the conversation.
Finally, Minaj said Cunningham shouldn't be labeled with the country tag if she didn't want it, causing Carey and Jackson to react defensively. After they all agreed to send her to Hollywood, Carey mockingly yelled, "Yay, country!" as Cunningham departed.
When Randy added that he was trying to help her based on his experience from 30 years in the business, Minaj took offense and said, "Oh, you're right. I'm sorry, I can't help her. Maybe I should just get off the f---ing panel."
Nicki's reaction may have been extreme, but we see where she was coming from since Mariah and Randy both came off as condescending during the exchange. The last thing budding singers like Cunningham want is to be pigeonholed just five minutes into their careers. Minaj came down on the side of artistic freedom and letting the artist be who they want to be, which is admirable.
Hopefully when the live shows begin, the judges will have worked everything out and put the spat behind them.