Asttina Mandella

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Asttina Mandella
Born
Aston Joshua

(1993-02-11) 11 February 1993 (age 28)
London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationDrag queen, dancer
Years active2012–present
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2)
Parent(s)
  • Dawn Elizabeth Seaton (mother)

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] They are best known for competing on the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where they placed eleventh on the series.[2]

Career[]

Mandella has professionally fulfilled their career as a drag queen since 2012, but prior to 2020 focused predominantly on their dance career. Asttina is trained in ballet, tap dance, jazz, voguing, hip-hop dance, waacking and street dance.[3] They have also performed as a backup dancer alongside prestigious performers such as: Hercules & Love Affair, The Pussycat Dolls, Little Mix and Kanye West.[3] Their drag name derives from a hybrid of their 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 they placed in the bottom, and were 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, they 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]

Personal life[]

Mandella currently resides in East London.[citation needed] They 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]

Filmography[]

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race UK Contestant Series 2 11th Place [2]

Music videos[]

Year Title Artist Ref
2020 "Baby" Madison Beer [10]

Discography[]

As featured artist[]

Title Year Album
"A Little Bit of Love"[11]
(among The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Season 2) 		2021 Non-album single

Stage[]

Year Title Promoter Locations Ref
2021 Squirrel Friends Klub Kids London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle [12]
2021 Noir: The Tour Klub Kids Glasgow, Manchester, London, Cardiff, Brighton and Birmingham [13][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]

References[]

  1. ^ "Drag Race UK star Asttina Mandella reveals her 'controversial and taboo' pick for Snatch Game". GAY TIMES. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "RuPaul's Drag Race UK series two". BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Meet Asttina Mandella | RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 2, retrieved 5 May 2021
  4. ^ "Who is Asttina Mandella? Meet the RuPaul's Drag Race UK star who comes with pyrotechnics and extravagance". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Opie, David (29 January 2021). "Drag Race UK star Asttina Mandella talks online controversy and Black queer icons". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  6. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race UK - Series 2: Episode 1, retrieved 6 May 2021
  7. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race UK - Series 2: Episode 3, retrieved 6 May 2021
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Tour". Voss Events. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Damshenas, Sam (8 June 2021). "17 incredible LGBTQ+ friendly events you can attend in the UK this year". Gay Times. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Premiere: Madison Beer recruits drag queens Crystal, Asttina, Bimini and Tayce for new Baby video". GAY TIMES. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  11. ^ A Little Bit of Love (Cast Version) [feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Season 2] by RuPaul, retrieved 20 March 2021
  12. ^ "Klub Kids London presents SQUIRREL FRIENDS (ages 14+)". Eventbrite. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Noir: The Tour". Klub Kids. Retrieved 5 May 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""