Nicki Minaj: 'I Have To Stay True To What I’m Doing'

Minaj says Grammys wanted her to perform "Roman Holiday"

Still reeling from her controversial and confusing performance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, Nicki Minaj appeared on the Ryan Seacrest show to not so much defend, but explain the chaos.

On attending the Grammy's with a Pope look-alike: “The religious figure is there because he was called on by Roman’s mom to rehabilitate him.”

[Also Read: Nicki Minaj Loses Big At The Grammys]

On the concept behind her performance “Roman Holiday”:

“I had this vision for him to be sort of exorcised—or actually he never gets exorcised—but people around him tell him he’s not good enough because he’s not normal, he’s not blending in with the average Joe. And so his mother is scared and the people around him are afraid because they’ve never seen anything like him. He wanted to show that not only is he amazing and he’s sure of himself and confident, but he’s never gonna change, he’s never gonna be exorcised. Even when they throw the holy water on him, he still rises above.”

On how she chose “Roman Holiday” for the Grammys:

“The Grammys chose ‘Roman Holiday.’ The producers of the Grammys came to the studio and I played them ‘Roman Holiday,’ and I could not play them another record after they heard that. They went crazy. I could have chosen to do a no-brainer pop song, but I can’t do it anymore. I have to stay true to what I’m doing.”