Heavy
Before “American Idol” made the switch to ABC, there was a time near the end of its run on FOX where the judge’s table was shuffling. At one point, Nicki Minaj served in the role for season 12 before departing. Minaj shared big news with her fans on June 5 that she will be releasing her fifth album on October 20, 2023.
She announced the long-awaited news with a post on Twitter that simply listed the date followed by “The Album” and a CD and bow emoji. Fans of hers have been waiting a long time for her fifth album. Her “Queen” album came out on August 10, 2018.
Nicki Minaj Says Her Album ‘Will Raise the Bar’
10/20/23
The Album 💿🎀
While the official date was not known before this week, Minaj had previously shared that she would be dropping her fifth album this year. On May 10, she posted on Twitter that this upcoming album would be a game-changer after five years have gone by between releases.
“NM5 is the best thing that will come out of 2023 & will raise the bar to new & unreachable heights,” her tweet read. “NM5 tour will be hailed as ‘genius.’ That’s it & that’s all.”
Over the past five years, Minaj hasn’t remained removed from the music world. She’s put out multiple singles, including two in 2023 with “Princess Diana” and “Red Ruby da Sleeze” on January 20 and March 3, respectively. There were six singles of hers that released in 2022, which included “Super Freaky Girl.” That single climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Nicki Minaj Said Her ‘Real Personality” Came Out on ‘Idol’
It’s been nearly a decade since Minaj served as a judge on “American Idol.” Having done so for just one season, many fans may have even forgotten that she was on a panel that also included Mariah Carey’s first and only season, Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson.
In a 2013 interview with Marie Claire, the “Starships” singer said that “the perception that people had of me completely changed” because her “real personality” was able to come through with no cue cards or script to tie her down.
“My core is a genuine human being who roots for other people,” she told the outlet. “I didn’t want to blow smoke up their a–. I wanted every contestant to leave with something that they could remember.”
In season 12, it was Candice Glover who took home the prize as the next American Idol. The runner-up that year was Kree Harrison. Minaj and Carey were replaced the following season with Harrick Connick Jr. and Jennifer Lopez. That season also marked the final one for Jackson after he was the last remaining one from the original trio of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and himself.
In that same Marie Claire interview, Minaj also mentioned that she would like to “at least do three more albums.” At that time, she had two albums out and has put two more out since then with the upcoming October album marking her third album since that remark, “If I can do that, I’ll feel complete.”
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Former ‘American Idol’ Judge Announces New Album