Nicki's 'just a regular woman'

Nicki Minaj wants to look more "relatable".

The Starships hitmaker is known for her colourful wig collection and eccentric outfits, but she has begun to tone down her appearance because she wants to be viewed as a "regular woman".

She said: "Towards the end of last year I just wanted to have a more natural look, and that's what I was explaining to my team.

"I knew that I was about to start doing covers of magazines and I wanted a more relatable look. I knew that I was about to launch a clothing line and I want women to know that I'm just a regular woman and I'm not some weirded-out character all the time."

And after seeing the results of her make-under, Minaj (30) couldn't be happier, and admits she has fallen in love with her new appearance.

The American Idol judge added on MTV First: Nicki Minaj: "I made that conscious effort to tone it down and to try new things. And when I started seeing what my hair looked like, I just fell in love.

"I was just like, 'Oh my gosh where has this been all my life?' Because even my fans went crazy, I feel like the whole world went crazy. It felt like I took off this mask - it didn't feel like that to me - but to the world it's almost like, 'Oh now we see the real her.' It was weird."