Nicki Minaj has never been known as someone who holds her tongue; as long as she’s been in the spotlight, she says what she feels, and that has never been more evident than on “American Idol”–at least, according to the sneak peeks we’ve seen so far. Feuding with Mariah Carey is just the beginning of it, however, as she now says she’s nervous about the show’s premiere because she’s afraid she wasn’t as nice to the contestants as the other judges were.

“It’s hard for me to not say how I really feel…everyone else is so nice,” she says. “I was just thinking back about some things and I was like, ‘I wonder if that was not so nice.’ ”

The day-glo haired songstress is aware of what’s expected of her, however, and says she wants to do her best for the contestants who are counting on her to be honest…whether they like the outcome or not.

“As an artist I’ve always grown more from the tougher criticism,” she says, “and so I would like to be that person and to try to help people get that thick skin and to really give it their all, because it is a competition.”

The new season of “American Idol” premieres on January 16th; as for Nicki and Mariah, Nicki says she wants to come back as a judge for next season as long as the other diva will have her.