THE last time I saw a crowd of more than 200 fans waiting to catch a glimpse of a star at The Dorchester, the late King of Pop Michael Jackson was in residence.
The size of the crowd is often a true reflection of the superstar inside.
And by that simple rule, having battled my way through an excitable throng of camera phone-wielding characters dressed in outrageous clobber, the royal family of pop has a new addition.
Meet the new Queen of New York, Nicki Minaj. Hip-hop's answer to Lady GaGa - a stunning, 26-year-old firecracker of a US rapper - with genuine working-class roots in the Big Apple.
Her name might not ring a bell yet - even though her first UK single, Right Thru Me, is never off the radio.
But she is about to make a curvaceous and colourful mark on music in the UK after an incredible rags-to-riches beginning.
Nicki, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, spent most of her childhood living in fear of her alcoholic, drug addict father.
And just like her close pal and collaborator Rihanna, she has used the ordeal of her upbringing to become a ferociously independent and successful woman.
The softly spoken and impeccably polite singer told The Sun: "All of my young and teenage early years we lived in fear that my mother would be killed by my father. It was ridiculous. It made me act out to guys and be evil to them when I was growing up.
"It made me tough. Of course it did. I am an emotional person, but I am a tough person. It was very tough emotionally for me to have a parent who was an alcoholic and a drug addict. I had a mum with no money.
"We didn't really have many options. When you don't have options you feel helpless. And I think that is the worst feeling.
"My father was violent - physically and verbally. Once my older brother grew up he became the man of the house and started standing up to my father.
"That was the only time we had peace in my home, when we knew there was another male figure in the house and he could protect us.
"I will cry about something but I never let anything stop me. I can't be like my mum. I know I can cut ties and still make it.
"She didn't cut ties when I felt like she should have done. That's been my whole thing. I've been able to say, 'This isn't working any more. You need to get out of my life'. I keep it moving and it has worked."
The brutal streets of Queens in New York could not have been further away as I sat down to speak with Nicki.
Apart from a 7ft security guard called Big Dream (more like Giant Nightmare), the only aggression I could sense was from the fug of hairspray on my throat as it was applied to her incredible pink wig.
She was surrounded by a P Diddy-size entourage including management, stylists, numerous hairdressers, more giant security guards and a long queue of sycophants offering congratulations on her rise to fame.
Her stunning looks and obvious talent aside, there was no Mariah Carey diva about her at all. She was engaging, funny, intelligent and immediately endearing.
But listen to her music and you'll find no shortage of controversy. Like David Bowie, Beyonce and GaGa, she uses alter egos to deliver foul-mouthed lyrics and sexually charged tracks.
They are so revealing that she feels uncomfortable with the youngest among her 2.3million followers on Twitter reciting her rhymes.
She said: "Being honest, if I had a daughter I wouldn't want her listening to a Nicki Minaj CD until she was a certain age.
"Even when I meet my fans and they tell me they are 12, I cringe a little.
"I always say, 'Listen. I don't want you saying the bad words, put school first'.
"At the same time, I am like their bigger sister. I'm not like their mum.
"I have to give them the good with the bad. If I censor them completely and say 'don't don't don't don't don't' then that's what they are going to 'do do do do do'.
"You have to tell kids this is the real world but they don't have to go down this road. Just pay attention and do your best.
"When they really connect with me they know how big I am on school and how I always promote independence for women."
But before parents of young girls go off to destroy her new album, Pink Friday, they should know this pop Queen from Queens has been a positive influence on young people. Just check Twitter. Nicki said: "A lot of people send me direct messages on Twitter telling me what they are going through - their father is on drugs, this and that and the third.
"They feel like they can deal with all this stuff because I did and survived. They can have the worst hand dealt to them but they can do whatever they set their hearts on.
"A lot of fans say they like me because I don't give a damn what they say about me. As a teenager you spend so much time worrying about what people say about you.
"When you have someone to look up to and you feel they don't care, it makes you more comfortable with yourself.
"Whether you are overweight, whether you feel ugly, whatever it is. You know what? I am a bad bitch. I don't care. Go f*** yourself.
"That's the attitude they have. A lot of people on Twitter trying to be funny will say to me, 'Damn you for giving these girls so much confidence. Now everybody thinks they look good'.
"That makes me feel good. If these girls walk around thinking they are the baddest thing on the planet, I am happy. That's my manifesto. That's my mission statement."
It's not a bad one either, and it's lucrative too.
Nicki recently pocketed a reported £30k for showing up at a nightclub in Watford last week. That should keep Big Dream in cookies for a while.
And there is serious talent behind the GaGa fancy dress. She is the first female artist to have seven singles in the US Billboard Top 100 at the same time. Her album Pink Friday sold 400,000 in its first week and MTV voted her Woman Of The Year 2010.
"Nicki Minaj" is the fourth fastest-rising search on Google, just after teen sensation Justin Bieber at No3, and the eighth fastest-rising star in entertainment on the search engine.
With her success coming in a whirlwind two-year period, she is still adjusting to her new life.
She said: "Getting used to the attention from paparazzi is something new. When I think of them I think of Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson. I'm a rapper - it's unusual.
"It's a big thing for me to be a spectacle. When I don't do it, I feel like I am letting people down.
"It's like they don't climax. They get to the point waiting to see you and then it's a disappointment if I'm not dressed up.
"I felt like I should have been looking more Minaj when at the airport in London. That's what people want to see, that makes the kids excited.
"They will wear your outfits for Halloween. It makes them feel like you are having fun with them."
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