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Aston Joshua (born 11 February 1993), better known by the stage name Asttina Mandella, is a British drag queen and dancer from East London.[1] She is best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where she came eleventh on the series.[2]
Asttina Mandella | |
|---|---|
| Born | Aston Joshua 11 February 1993 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Drag queen, dancer |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Television | RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2) |
Mandella has been a drag queen since 2012, but before 2020 she was mostly known for being a dancer. Asttina is trained in ballet, tap dance, jazz, voguing, hip-hop dance, waacking and street dance.[3] She has also performed as a backup dancer alongside prestigious performers such as: Hercules & Love Affair, The Pussycat Dolls, Little Mix and Kanye West.[3] Her drag name derives from a hybrid of her birth name, American singer Tina Turner and former President of South Africa and philanthropist Nelson Mandela.[4] In December 2020, Asttina was announced as one of twelve contestants competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, and placed eleventh overall in the competition.[2] Mandella was the eleventh contestant to enter the Werk Room and penned the now synonymous catchphrase 'Rude!",[5] and also won the first episode of the series,[6] and performed well in episode two, however shortly after in episode three she placed in the bottom, and was eliminated in a lip sync challenge against contestant Tia Kofi to the song "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa.[7] In February 2022 Asttina will embark on RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour alongside the entire cast of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in association with World of Wonder and promoter Voss Events.[8] In August 2021, she will be a featured performer in Klub Kids London Presents: NOIR: The Tour, where 25% of the proceeds from the production will be donated to the Black Lives Matter movement.[9]
Mandella currently resides in East London. [citation needed] She also drew media attention when discussing the representation of Black Queer icons within the United Kingdom, alongside fellow contestant Tayce, as it was a conversation that "opened up to so many people" according to Digital Spy.[5]
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Drag S.O.S. | Dance Instructor | Series 1 | |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Contestant | Series 2, 11th place | [2] |
| 2022 | Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud | Herself | BBC documentary | [10] |
| 2022 | Queens for the Night | Herself | One-off special | [11] |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Baby" | Madison Beer | [12] |
| 2021 | "Good Ones" (Drag Performance Video) | Charli XCX | [13] |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "A Little Bit of Love"[14] (among The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Season 2) |
2021 | Non-album single |
| Year | Title | Promoter | Locations | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Squirrel Friends | Klub Kids | London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle | [15] |
| 2021 | Noir: The Tour | Klub Kids | Glasgow, Manchester, London, Cardiff, Brighton and Birmingham | [16][9] |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK: The Official Tour | Voss Events / World Of Wonder | Ipswich, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bournemouth, Southend, Manchester, Sheffield, Blackpool, Llandudno, Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Plymouth, London, Derby, Bristol, Bradford, Aberdeen, Southampton, Stockton, Brighton and Newport | [8] |
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