Singing superstar Mariah Carey kicked off her new judging role on 'American Idol' last weekend with the first live auditions in New York and has admitted that she can't tell if she's a "nice" panelist or not.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about how she tries to give advice to aspiring musicians, singers and contestants, the 'Obsessed' hitmaker explained that she values honesty because she doesn't want people to pursue something if they're not talented enough to make it:

"I try to be honest and I try to be constructive. I don't know if that means that I'm nice or mean or whatever. I'm a producer and I'm a songwriter, and I look at myself as a singer as kind of third."

"But I look at these kids as though we're in the studio producing a record. And if I feel they should have done something a certain way, I'll say, 'you can try this, you can try this,' only in a constructive way, to sort of be a guide and someone to give them guidance rather than, like, judging somebody."

Addressing the recent rumours that suggest there's a behind-the-scenes feud between herself and new judge Nicki Minaj, she added that she's taking the job one day at a time:

"You know what, I think the whole thing is gonna be an experience that unfolds each day. But it's cool, I'm glad to be there, and right now after this, I'm going to the studio and working on some new music and (I'm) excited about that. ... That's always gonna be the most exciting thing for me."