Beyonce and Nicki Minaj love their new lives in Los Angeles

Beyonce is much "happier" now she has moved from New York to Los Angeles, according to her pal Nicki Minaj.

The superstar singer left her longtime home in the Big Apple last year (14) and moved to the West Coast with her rapper husband Jay Z and their daughter Blue Ivy.

The couple is currently renting a mansion in the city after a deal to buy a house in the area fell through, and Nicki, who also moved to L.A. earlier this year (15), insists Beyonce is loving her new life.

"I love it (in Los Angeles). I spoke to Beyonce about it, because she came out here recently too," Nicki tells Billboard.com. "She said exactly what I used to say when I first moved here. We just feel happier. She was saying that simple things that would normally feel like a task, they don't (feel that way) out here.

"She told me it's not bothersome to get up super early and have to take Blue to school, because it looks so beautiful. I'm a New Yorker, but there are times in New York when you wake up and it's, like, a dreary day. I know my London fans can identify with this. When I'm in London or Paris, I think the same thing. Part of the beauty is in the grayness - but it's an acquired taste."

During the interview Nicki also talks about her plans to launch a serious acting career, insisting she wants to model herself on Hollywood legend Meryl Streep.

"I want to do something very serious. Meryl Streep is one of my favourite artists of all time," she adds. "She blows me away in just about everything she does. I love how she can go from The Devil Wears Prada to The Iron Lady - she's so incredible in that. My dream would be to have that type of acting career, where I can do both things believably."