Mariah Carey‘s American Idol journey was more like a Highway to Hell, according to the singer in a recent interview on New York radio station Hot 97.

“Honestly, I thought it was gonna be a three-person panel. They gave me a nice dangling monetary moment,” she said.

Carey did not directly address her public feud with former judge Nicki Minaj, but she did describe an unhappy work environment.

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“It was like going to work every day in hell with Satan,”  she said.

She stopped short of naming any devil (or Minaj) in particular. “Nah, I’m just playing. It didn’t affect me that much. I was disappointed.”

She wasn’t all negative.

“I loved the contestants,” she said. “Some of them were so good and also really good people, you could tell, it was disappointing that…for political reasons they would not put people through.”

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“I like being in the studio better and going on my own tours,” she told interviewer Angie Martinez.

The iconic singer is currently promoting her new single, “The Art of Letting Go.” She is planning on releasing a new CD in February 2014, which she promises will be more “classic Mariah.” 

Watch the interview below:

Twitter: @MicheleAmabile

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