Nicki Minaj Admits Debut LP Pressure, "I Really Didn't Have Fun Recording 'Pink Friday'"

Young Money star Nicki Minaj recently updated fans on the status of her forthcoming Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded sophomore album and explained why last year's solo debut was more work than pleasure.

Confirming plans for her new LP to drop in February, Minaj admitted she is finally having fun with the music-making process.

"Roman Reloaded is coming out Valentine's Day a.k.a. Romantime's Day. I had to go back and reassess and I realized that my Barbs, my core Team Minaj, they really have stood by my side and they miss mixtape Nicki and they miss crazy Nicki and so Roman basically escaped out," Minaj told radio host Tim Westwood. "He was in Moscow and now he's like, 'You know what, Nicki? Sit down, I wanna show you how to do this.' So I just let him run wild on Roman Reloaded. ... I have to say that I'm probably the happiest I've ever been, ever, in my career because I'm finally putting things into perspective and I really didn't have fun recording Pink Friday but I'm having fun recording Roman Reloaded because I'm just letting loose and I'm not overthinking things anymore." ("Tim Westwood TV")

Minaj also said despite Pink Friday's platinum success, the project put a strain on her.

"I'm just being in the moment and that's what I didn't really get to do with the first album because I was so, so worried and so pressured," Minaj added. "But now, the Barbs and I, we've proven ourselves and so now I'm just like having fun. I did the Britney [Spears] tour, I did the [Lil] Wayne tour and I've been doing a lot of TV stuff and, you know, all that good stuff. But I could not wait to get back in the studio and just let Roman run wild and so now we're doing that." ("Tim Westwood TV")

Heading into the weekend, the self-proclaimed Barbie described her new "Roman In Moscow" single.

"'Roman in Moscow is like a teaser to Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which will drop on Valentine's Day," Minaj said. "When I say it's a teaser, it's like a trailer to the movie, it's like setting the stage and I just wanted to touch the surface. It's the wackest thing on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded." On the song, Roman is fired up and wreaking havoc all over Moscow. "Well, he was there [in Moscow] secretly because [alter ego] Martha wanted him to go there, so they put him in this thing with monks and nuns; they were trying to rehabilitate him," Minaj explained. "But I can't tell exactly what happened, you'll just see it in the video format, but let's just say he got out of there." Minaj added that the video for "Roman in Moscow" "will be shot real soon." (MTV)

The new smash hit premiered online Friday (December 2) afternoon.

Nicki Minaj channels her alter ego in her new teaser single "Roman in Moscow," presumably off her sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, due on Valentine's Day. The clamorous track, produced by SAROM and Street Runner, sees the Harajuku Barbie channeling her alter ego Roman Zolanski, who takes subliminal shots at other rappers. "I told you b*tches last year I'm a rap b*tch nightmare / That's why I call you Buzz Lightyear / Because the time you buzzin', b*tch, you gon' have white hair," she raps. "Anyway, I'm on that new sh*t / Every trend, I introduce it." (Rap-Up)