A promo for the new season of American Idol that was focused on Nicki Minaj showed the newly-minted judge cutting a few contestants down.  By contrast, a new promo featuring Nicki's rival, Mariah Carey , shows that the superstar diva's judging style is a bit closer to Paula Abdul 's: she's a nurturer.

In the clip, Mariah says, "I didn't have a show like Idol.   I waitressed, I did a lot of these other things that I hear a lot of contestants talk about doing.  I always sang and I always wrote.  It's just having that ambition.  You just can't let go of your dreams."

Then we see a montage of Mariah reacting to a series of contestants, telling one, "I know that people are gonna love you!," saying to another, "Oh, don't make me cry!," and telling a third, "I felt every single word you sang."

Commenting on what it's like to have someone really talented in front of her, she says, "When I see that, it's just like, 'That person has it.'"

The new season of Idol will premiere January 16 on Fox.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio