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Nicki Minaj Said She Was Done Performing “Starships”—Then It Returned to Her 2024 Setlist

Nicki Minaj stopped “Starships” at a 2023 Miami show and said she no longer performed it. Later 2024 tour setlists showed the song had not been permanently retired.
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Nicki Minaj criticized her hit “Starships” during a New Year’s Eve performance in Miami, stopping the song after it began and telling the audience that she no longer performed it. Reports from the December 31, 2023, show characterized her as calling the track “stupid” and saying that she did not like it. But the apparent retirement did not last—or was never meant as an absolute rule: “Starships” later appeared in published setlists for Minaj’s 2024 Pink Friday 2 World Tour and was reported as part of the live show.

What Nicki Minaj said about “Starships”

The incident happened at E11EVEN Miami on December 31, 2023, during the venue’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Minaj began performing “Starships,” her 2012 pop hit, but stopped the backing track shortly after the song started.

According to contemporary reports from Us Weekly, iHeart and TMZ, Minaj told the crowd that she did not perform the song anymore. The reports also paraphrased her as describing it as a “stupid” song and saying that she did not like it.

The moment circulated through video shared from the venue’s Instagram Story and fan-recorded social-media posts. That distinction matters: the available evidence is footage from the performance and media reports about it, not a formal statement issued by Minaj or her record label. The safest description is that she publicly expressed her dislike for the song and announced, at that show, that she was no longer performing it.

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Why the comment attracted so much attention

“Starships” was not a minor album track. Released in 2012 during the Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded era, it became one of Minaj’s most recognizable crossover hits and a defining example of her electronic, dance-pop direction at the time.

The song reached No. 5 on the UK Official Singles Chart. The Recording Industry Association of America’s database also lists a certification for the U.S. single dated November 18, 2024, underlining the track’s continuing commercial recognition.

Its credits reflect a large-scale pop production: RedOne, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Wayne Hector and Minaj are among the credited writers and producers associated with the release. RedOne, who co-wrote and co-produced the song, later indicated that he remained proud of the track while respecting Minaj’s feelings about performing it.

That combination made the Miami moment unusually newsworthy: a performer was publicly dismissing one of the biggest and most commercially successful songs in her catalog. For fans, “Starships” is also closely tied to Minaj’s early-2010s pop image, so her rejection of it sounded like a rejection of a particularly visible phase of her career.

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“Starships” was later included in the 2024 tour

The headline that Minaj “won’t perform it anymore” reflects what she said in Miami, but it is too broad as a permanent claim. Later live-performance evidence tells a more complicated story.

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Official Charts’ published expected setlist for Minaj’s 2024 Pink Friday 2 World Tour listed “Starships” among the show’s songs, placing it as the final listed number before the encore. A review of Minaj’s April 10, 2024, performance at Boston’s TD Garden also reported that she closed the main portion of the concert with familiar songs including “Anaconda,” “Super Bass” and “Starships.”

Concert-setlist databases likewise recorded the song in the 2024 touring repertoire, although user-submitted databases are best treated as supporting evidence rather than the sole source for a claim about a performance.

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In practical terms, the record shows three separate facts:

  1. On December 31, 2023, Minaj stopped “Starships” at the Miami event and said she no longer performed it.
  2. During the 2024 touring cycle, the song appeared in published setlists and was reported as part of at least some shows.
  3. There is no confirmed permanent ban or retirement. The later performances make it impossible to say that she never performed the song again.

Did Minaj change her mind?

Possibly—but the available evidence does not establish exactly what happened behind the scenes. The 2023 comment may have reflected her genuine artistic preference at that particular performance, while the later tour may have involved a different show plan, audience expectations or a decision to include a familiar hit despite her reservations.

It is also possible to distinguish between disliking a song and refusing to perform it under every circumstance. Minaj’s statement was clear in the Miami clip, but there is no detailed, verified interview in the available reporting explaining whether her opinion changed, whether the song was reinstated for contractual or production reasons, or whether she viewed the declaration as limited to that show.

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Accordingly, it would be an overstatement to describe the episode as a permanent artistic reversal. The evidence supports a narrower conclusion: Minaj said she was done with “Starships,” then performed or included it during the subsequent Pink Friday 2 touring period.

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The bigger question: artists and songs they outgrow

Minaj’s reaction fits a familiar pattern in live music. Artists sometimes distance themselves from earlier songs because their sound, image or relationship with the material has changed. A song can remain commercially successful while no longer representing the performer’s preferred artistic identity.

That does not mean the artist’s original audience has stopped valuing it. “Starships” remains a major part of Minaj’s public catalog, with a prominent chart history, enduring recognition and a strong association with the Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded period. Its place in the catalog is determined by both the artist’s feelings and the audience’s memory; one does not automatically erase the other.

Nor is there evidence here of a public dispute between Minaj and RedOne. The available reporting presents RedOne as proud of the song and respectful of Minaj’s wishes, not as an opponent in a documented feud.

What can—and cannot—be said about the incident

Accurate takeaway Claim to avoid
Minaj criticized “Starships” and said she no longer performed it at the December 31, 2023, Miami show. She permanently retired the song.
The song later appeared in published setlists for the 2024 Pink Friday 2 World Tour. She never performed it again after the Miami incident.
She has publicly expressed dislike for the track. She gave a fully documented, detailed explanation of why she dislikes it.
RedOne remained proud of the song and respected Minaj’s position, according to available reporting. Minaj and RedOne had a confirmed public dispute over it.
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The lasting takeaway

Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” comment was real, memorable and revealing: at a New Year’s Eve show in Miami, she stopped the song and told fans she no longer performed it, while describing the track negatively. But the phrase “won’t perform it anymore” should not be treated as a permanent fact.

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The song returned to the documented live repertoire during the 2024 Pink Friday 2 tour. The most accurate account is therefore not that Minaj permanently banned “Starships,” but that she declared it off-limits in late 2023 and later included the hit in her touring show.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Nicki Minaj say about “Starships”?

During a December 31, 2023, New Year’s Eve performance at E11EVEN Miami, Minaj stopped the song after it began and told the audience that she no longer performed it. Contemporary reports also characterized her as calling it “stupid” and saying she did not like it.

Did Nicki Minaj permanently stop performing “Starships”?

No permanent retirement is confirmed. “Starships” appeared in published setlists for Minaj’s 2024 Pink Friday 2 World Tour and was reported as part of her performance at Boston’s TD Garden.

When was “Starships” released?

“Starships” was released in 2012 during the Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded era. It reached No. 5 on the UK Official Singles Chart.

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Why did Nicki Minaj stop performing the song?

The available reporting supports only her stated dislike of the song and her description of it as “stupid.” No detailed, verified explanation of the artistic reasons behind that view is established by the available evidence.

The Bottom Line

Bottom line: Minaj said she was done performing “Starships” at a Miami show on December 31, 2023, but later tour evidence shows the song was not permanently removed from her live repertoire.

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