Nicki Minaj - Nicki Minaj Makes Play For Gaga's Crown With 'starships'

After her head-turning performance at the Grammys on Sunday, Nicki Minaj has launched her latest single, 'Starships' on Ryan Seacrest's radio show. The new track seems to have Minaj aiming for the Ibiza poolside crowd, with the kind of synth lines you'd expect on a trance club anthem. With RedOne on production duties (the man who produced Lady Gaga's biggest hits; 'Poker Face', 'Just Dance' and 'Bad Romance' to name a few), Nicki Minaj seems to be laying down the gauntlet and making a play for Gaga's crown.

Even Nicki Minaj's appearance at the Grammy's seemed like a trademark Lady Gaga move. She arrived on the red carpet with the Pope in tow (or at least, someone dressed as the Pope) and was wearing a striking red Versace nun's habit. It was part-Catholic imagery, part Little Red Riding Hood. Whatever it was, it was striking. The red carpet arrival may not have reached the peaks of ridiculousness that Lady Gaga achieved when she arrived inside an egg last year, but in an evening muted by the passing of Whitney Houston, it was certainly the most extravagant behavior we saw all night.

Add to that a theatrical stage appearance that suggests she's been taking notes from Lady Gaga and Madonna and it would seem that Nicki Minaj is making serious strides towards domination of the pop world. Her performance provoked rage from the Catholic League. Which inevitably provoked interest from the world's internet users. Which inevitably, will mean that more people will be listening to her new single online. And with lyrics like "f*ck who you want / f*ck who you like," 'Starships' will probably have any number of religious communities and pressure groups up in arms about the song's message.