Nicki Minaj Opens Up About Her Anxiety Issues While On 'Carpool Karaoke'

As James Corden's newest Carpool Karaoke guest, rapper Nicki Minaj just unleashed a heated perspective on her struggles with the music business. Due to the social distance issue induced by the pandemic, the driving karaoke show was last staged two years ago. However, with Covid limitations loosened worldwide, the popular program, which was a fan favorite before its absence, has been re-launched.

Minaj wasn't hesitant to be open on the show, taking time to discuss many aspects of her life, such as how being in the public glare can be stressful and a killer of confidence.

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In the piece which ran on Wednesday night, the singer and rapper admitted to having anxiety issues, something she had never had during her early days. She attributed it to being in the public glare, saying she was "more confident" when she was younger and initially started the music profession, as opposed to today.

"I think when you are a woman, and you're in the public eye all the time, if you're not careful, you can become less confident because you're being constantly scrutinized," she revealed. "I just don't think it's natural. It's not natural for a human being to just always feel like everyone's critiquing them."

"When I first came into the industry, I had this amazing sense of freedom because nobody gave a s**t about what I was doing," Minaj added. "And then it goes from that to the complete, complete opposite. Where it's like, if I blink my eye wrong, they'll have a story made up about why I blinked my eye that way."

While Minaj said that being dragged to and fro by public opinion might be difficult at times, she shared a simple strategy she does to keep her sanity. The 39-year-old revealed that she avoids social media at these times and instantly feels a sense of peace envelop her.

More importantly, becoming a mother has added to her peace of mind, particularly with the birth of her first son, whom she shares with her boyfriend, Kenneth Petty. The "The Pills and Potion" singer affectionately dubbed her child Papa Bear and spoke about how much joy he brought into her life.

The rapper then explained to Corden that she bonds with her son through her musical abilities. "I rap and sing to him all the time. I just make up melodies all day," she said.

During the journey, Minaj and Corden rapped a medley of her best singles, including "Anaconda," "Super Bass," "Chun-Li," "Starships," and others. The rapper also did an Adele imitation and highlighted the singer's Carpool Karaoke performance of her verse from Kanye West's "Monster" in 2016.

"She made me so, so happy. She embodied Nicki Minaj," the mother-of-one said.

"She just naturally has that thing … but it's different because she's singing these sad songs, so you don't expect it from her," she added, before breaking into "Monster" and singing Adele's "Someone Like You."

Although the Trinidadian native has been quiet on social media, she devotes all of her time and energy to constantly creating something fresh for her followers. Minaj's latest album, "Queen," was released in 2018, and now, three years later, she has confirmed that her fifth studio album is in the works.

In a more formal visit on The Late Late Show with James Corden, the hip-hop queen characterized her new album as "fun, gutta, and back to the roots," adding that it will be released in the summer of 2022.

Meanwhile, Minaj has worked on a trio of new tunes with Lil Baby, Coi Leray, and Fivio Foreign to kick off her 2022 music collection.