"Starships" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper and singer Nicki Minaj from her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). It was released on February 14, 2012, by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Republic as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Minaj, Nadir Khayat, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Bilal Hajji, and Wayne Hector, and it was produced by RedOne, Yacoub, and Falk.
"Starships" peaked inside the top five in fifteen countries. It debuted at number nine on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and spent a total of 21 consecutive weeks in the top ten and peaked at number five, breaking a chart record at the time. The song has sold 4.5 million digital downloads in the U.S. as of 2014, and has been certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, becoming her second-highest certified solo single in the U.S. The song is among the best-selling singles of all time worldwide, with 7.2 million copies sold, as of December 2012.
The corresponding music video was shot on Oahu Island, Hawaii. Directed by Anthony Mandler, the video features Minaj on a beach in a bikini, and near the end of the video, it shows her at a party, dancing to the song. The music video was well received by music critics, many praising the kaleidoscopic effects in the video and the carefree atmosphere. The music video won Best Female Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.[1] The song was included in the 2012 video game Dance Central 3 and it is included in the best-selling video game Just Dance 2014. It is also one of the select few songs available on Just Dance 2014's demo version.
Minaj has performed the song live in a number of appearances, and it was the encore performance on the Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour. The song has sparked controversy surrounding a pulled live performance. In September 2013, electronic artist Clive Tanaka filed suit against Minaj and the writers of the song, claiming it infringed on his own composition and recording "Neu Chicago",[2] but the lawsuit was dismissed.[3] Minaj later voiced regret over releasing the song.[4][5][6]
