Carpool Karaoke: Nicki Minaj impersonates Adele on return of James Corden series

‘It’s not natural for a human being to feel like everyone’s critiquing them,’ Minaj told Corden

Nicki Minaj impersonated Adele and rapped with James Corden during the return of Carpool Karaoke after a two-year hiatus.

The segment, part of Corden’s US talk show The Late Late Show, saw Minaj rap alongside Corden’s beatboxing as well as play the clarinet.

Minaj also got candid about the impact of being a woman in the public eye on her mental health, and her struggles with anxiety, which she abates by crunching on cubes of ice.

“I think when I was younger, my more natural state was to be more confident,” Minaj said. “But I think when you’re 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 scrutinised. I just don’t think it’s natural. It's not natural for a human being to feel like everyone’s critiquing them.”

The rapper explained that when she first got into the industry she felt like she could “get away with anything” but as her fame grew, it’s become “the complete opposite”.

“If I blink my eye wrong, they’ll have a story made up about why I blinked my eye that way,” she said. “Whenever I am off of social media and I take that s*** off my phone, I have just this enormous sense of peace.”

Minaj gave birth to her first child with husband Kenneth Petty in September 2020. She said on Carpool Karaoke that motherhood plays a “huge part” in feeling at peace.

“It doesn’t matter what is going on... when I look at my son, I’m just magically in love. He just makes me laugh, makes me smile, makes me happy.

“I rap and sing to him all the time,” she added.