American Idol judge Nicki Minaj admits she never "stops to smell the roses" even though she urges other women to be "fearless".

The 'Starships' rapper is famed for her no-nonsense attitude and confident approach to life, but insists she doesn't always practice what she preaches.

She explained: "You need to be fearless. Women all have insecurities and we all have things we don't like about ourselves in terms of body image, and where we are in life socially and relationship-wise. There are so many things to deal with.

She added: "I happen to be a pessimist. I don't stop to smell the roses, which is not a good thing. I don't stop and enjoy those moments. I'm just on to the next. Always on to the next and never in the moment.''

Minaj has revealed where she thinks her outlook on life stems from.

She told Britain's Cosmopolitan magazine: ''I was born in London in my past life. I was probably like a queen there; the people's queen who fought for lives... I probably started off as a maid and then was just, like, really revolutionary and moved into the big queen mansion.''