For fans of Nicki Minaj, Josh Matthias has the club for you. Photo in the public domain.
When you went on a tour of the University of Connecticut as a high schooler, do you remember which unique clubs they told you about? Well, third-semester electrical engineering major Josh Matthias remembered and wanted to create his own club outlandish enough to garner mention on student-led tours of UConn. Thus, the Nicki Minaj Fan Club was born.
The idea first came to Matthias one day when he suddenly did not feel like studying anymore. The song “Super Bass” was playing, and Matthias realized that he could turn the song into a club.
“I was doing my homework and then I didn’t want to do it anymore, so I was listening to a Nicki Minaj song at the time, and I was like ‘Bet there’s not a fan club,’” Matthias said. “I want them to say the club I’m about to make on the tour, that’s the end goal.”
Matthias, who is president of the club, and his friend David Nizzardo, a third-semester electrical and computer engineering major and vice president of the club, talked about wishing to expand the club and gain more members. They also discussed the fun environment they hope to foster within the club.
The two officers have never been to a Nicki Minaj concert, but that does not mean they are not enthusiastic about the singer and her music. They feel that most people have heard of Nicki Minaj, and they want people of various levels of fanhood to join their club.
“I feel like everyone’s kind of a fan … of Nicki Minaj,” Nizzardo said. “She has the very popular songs that are very mainstream, and people listen to, but then there’s also fans who go deeper into some of her albums, and I think that’s what’s going to be cool about our club. No matter what your interest level in Nicki Minaj is, you can come, like hang out, listen to good music, talk about music.”
Matthias and Nizzardo plan to discuss Minaj’s music during club meetings and debate which of her albums and songs are the best. Additionally, the club might vote on which Nicki Minaj song they want to be their club theme song.
Though the club has not been around for long, a student recently emailed Matthias to report a concern: The student was wondering if Minaj’s retirement would affect the operation of the club. Matthias said that it definitely would not.
“Don’t worry, the music’s still there, it’s not going anywhere, so we can still enjoy it,” Matthias said. “You know, it was her decision to retire, so … we supported her. Of course, always respect the queen.”
Matthias and Nizzardo don’t see her retirement as an obstacle. Rather, they still see value in Minaj’s current catalog of music.
“We want to meet, we want to do club activities because … regardless of the fact that she retired, her music’s still there and we still think it’s great music, so we’d like to appreciate it,” Nizzardo said.
Instead of disbanding at news of her retirement, the Nicki Minaj Fan Club is looking to expand, and students can contact the Nicki Minaj Fan Club at joshua.matthias@uconn.edu and follow them on Instagram @nmfc_uconn.
Stephanie Santillo is a senior staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at stephanie.santillo@uconn.edu.
