Nicki Minaj fears Idol fans only know her as a crazy psycho

Nicki Minaj fears her feud with Mariah Carey will overshadow the rest of her time on American Idol because fans now view her as a "crazy psycho".

The two panellists hit headlines during the show's audition stages last year when they became embroiled in a heated argument, during which Minaj allegedly threatened to shoot Carey.

They have since patched up their relationship, and Minaj is adamant she only snapped at Carey because she was worried the singer "didn't like" her.

She tells US TV host Ellen DeGeneres, "It was just two big old divas, I guess... I heard them saying 'Mariah doesn't want you on the panel' but I was like, 'No. I am friends with Mariah.' I was like arguing people down. Like, 'Don't believe everything you read, you're crazy.' And so I went there and I started to feel a bit of the shade. And I just kind of overcompensated by being crazier... If you know someone maybe doesn't like you, it's kind of like, now you're gonna really go in... because it's like a defence mechanism... Your feelings are hurt and you can't believe it, so you kind of just compensate with being crazy...

"What people don't understand is that I've looked up to her for so many years. Since she came out, Vision of Love, all that. Me and my mother would sing her songs like all day and all night."

However, Minaj hopes the argument doesn't affect the rest of her work on the reality TV show, adding, "We have a lot of great talent, and I don't want anyone on the panel to say something too crazy because then I don't want to look like a crazy psycho again. I am not really a crazy psycho, you guys."