Venus Nadya Oshun (born January 4, 1994), known professionally as Aja Miyake-Mugler or better known

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

ously as Aja ( ), is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

, reality television personality and

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

best known for competing on the ninth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'' and on the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

and tenth seasons of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, ...

''. Aja released her debut EP, ''

In My Feelings "In My Feelings" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake (musician), Drake from his fifth studio album ''Scorpion (Drake album), Scorpion'' (2018). It was released to rhythmic contemporary, rhythmic and contemporary hit radio on July 10, 2018, as th ...

'', in 2018, followed by her debut studio album, ''

BOX Office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...

'', in February 2019. Her second EP, ''ALL CAPS'', was released in June 2019. She released ''

Nail in the Coffin ''Nail in the Coffin'' is a collaborative Halloween-themed EP by Aja and Shilow, released on September 27, 2019. Composition and promotion The EP " lendsemo punk, trap, country and EDM, paying homage to classic and modern horror films". "Mama ...

'', a Halloween-themed EP, in collaboration with Shilow later that year. She was a contestant on the third season of '' Legendary'' on

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

, where she finished in 6th place with the

House of LaBeija The Royal House of LaBeija is the first house of Ballroom founded by Crystal LaBeija and Lottie LaBeija in 1968. It was the first ballroom house to host benefits to raise awareness during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. Crystal and Lottie establish ...

Early life

Aja was born on January 4, 1994, in

Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Bedford–Stuyvesant ( ), colloquially known as Bed–Stuy, is a neighborhood in the northern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Bedford–Stuyvesant is bordered by Flushing Avenue to the north (bordering Williamsburg), Classon ...

. She was raised by adoptive parents. Aja reconnected with her biological mother, Linda, later in life until her passing in 2024. She used to suffer from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

and

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

, which she attributed to her single-parent home, but stopped having panic attacks after starting drag. She lived as a

trans woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

for a year at age 18, later coming to identify as genderqueer after learning about

non-binary gender Non-binary or genderqueer gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that is differ ...

identities. Aja identifies as a

person of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

. She is of African American and Puerto Rican descent.Tweet by ajaoxum
, Twitter — March 26, 2019Tweet by ajaoxum
, Twitter — October 12, 2020Tweet by ajaoxum
, Twitter — September 6, 2020

Career

Aja began doing drag in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

at age 16, participating in contests at Posh Bar, the

Stonewall Inn The Stonewall Inn (also known as Stonewall) is a gay bar and recreational tavern at 53 Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots, which led to th ...

, Metropolitan Bar and Sugarland. She was announced as one of 14 contestants for the ninth season of ''

'' on February 2, 2017. Aja placed ninth that season and subsequently returned to participate in the third season of ''

''. Aja was eliminated during the fifth episode of ''All Stars 3'', but she returned in the following episode to compete for a chance to win re-entry to the competition. Another contestant,

Morgan McMichaels Morgan McMichaels (born May 28, 1981) is the stage name of Scottish-American drag performer Thomas White, best known as a contestant on the second season of the reality television competition ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' as well as the third seaso ...

, rejoined instead, which placed Aja seventh overall. The

drag house The Ballroom scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture. The scene traces its origins to the drag balls of the mid-19th century United States ...

Haus of Aja, based in Bedford–Stuyvesant, includes members Aja, Kandy Muse, Momo Shade, Dahlia Sin, and Janelle No5. They performed at Hardware Bar until the house dissolved in June 2018. Aja appeared in a commercial for H&M's Pride OUT Loud campaign in May 2018. Since June 2018, Aja has hosted a talk show called ''Ayo Sis'' on WOW Presents Plus. In May 2019, Aja was sponsored by

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

to promote the company's S'Mores Life contest. In July 2018, Aja announced that she no longer wish to be known as a drag queen but rather as a queer artist, stating to ''

them. ''Them'' is an American online LGBTQ magazine launched in October 2017 by Phillip Picardi and owned by Condé Nast. Its coverage includes LGBTQ culture, fashion, and politics. History In 2017 Picardi, then the director of ''Teen Vogue'', ...

'' magazine: For the next three years, Aja focused primarily on her musical career. In September 2021, she stated that she would again begin performing in drag. After seeing

Kylie Sonique Love Kylie Sonique Love (born May 2, 1983), formerly known as Sonique, is an American entertainer, singer, dancer, model and reality television personality. She rose to prominence as a contestant on the second season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2009 ...

win the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'', Aja said: "It really hit me at that moment that trans is who I am and drag is what I do,... that me doing drag has never taken away from who I am as a person.... As of today I can feel comfortable to say that I am a drag artist again." In 2023, Aja appeared on the first episode of the eighth season of

as a “lip-sync assassin”, where she faced off against the week's winner, Kahanna Montrese, to

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

’s “

Freakum Dress "Freakum Dress" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her second solo studio album '' B'Day'' (2006). It was written by Beyoncé, Rich Harrison, Angela Beyincé and Makeba Riddick. "Freakum Dress" received comparisons to Destiny's Child son ...

”. Aja won the lipsync and revealed which of the bottom queens had received the majority of the queens’ votes to go home, that being Monica Beverly Hillz. In July 2023, after having altered her Instagram display name months before, Aja formally announced that she was no longer part of the House of LaBeija, and that she is to be referred to as "Aja 007". On April 23, 2025, Aja was announced as one of eighteen former ''Drag Race'' contestants participating in the tenth season of ''

''.

Music

Aja released the single "Level Ya Pussy Up" with producers WNNR and DJ Accident Report in February 2017. Aja's single with fellow season 9 queens

Sasha Velour Alexander "Sasha" Hedges Steinberg (born June 25, 1987), known professionally as Sasha Velour, is an American drag queen, artist, actor, and stage and television producer, based in Brooklyn, New York. Velour is known for winning the ninth seaso ...

Peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid species of Mentha, mint, a cross between Mentha aquatica, watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in m ...

and

Alexis Michelle Alexander J. Michaels (born October 16, 1983), stage name Alexis Michelle, is an American drag queen and singer who came to international attention on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 9), ninth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. As of 2019, she sta ...

, titled "C.L.A.T.", was released on April 21, 2017. The track was produced by DJ Mitch Ferrino, who was featured on "Purse First" by

Bob the Drag Queen Christopher Delmar Caldwell (born June 22, 1986), also known by his stage name Caldwell Tidicue and better known by his drag name Bob the Drag Queen, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, author, and reality television ...

. Producer

Adam Joseph Adam Joseph (born Adam Joseph Hodges; January 10, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, and music producer. Joseph has released two albums and 16 singles during his career. He is also the president of his own recording label, Jah Records. Jos ...

remixed Aja's rant about fellow season 9 queen Valentina in a track called "Linda Evangelista". In September 2017, Aja appeared in the music video for Velo's song "Big D*ck Daddy" alongside Phi Phi O'Hara. On March 1, 2018, Aja released a solo

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, "Finish Her!", which was produced in collaboration with WNNR and DJ Accident Report. It features some of Aja's runway looks from ''All Stars 3''. Her debut EP, ''

'', was released on May 11, 2018. Videos for two other songs from ''In My Feelings'', "Brujería" and "I Don't Wanna Brag", were released on May 7, 2018, and July 13, 2018, respectively. Aja's second EP, ''All Caps'', was released on June 28, 2019. Aja's debut studio album, ''

'', was released on February 7, 2019. The album consists of fifteen tracks and includes features from

Shea Couleé Jaren Kyei Merrell (born February 8, 1989), known professionally as Shea Couleé, is an American drag queen, singer, rapper, actor, podcaster, and fixture of the Chicago nightlife scene. Born in Warsaw, Indiana, they began their drag career in 2 ...

and

CupcakKe Elizabeth Eden Harris (born May 31, 1997), known professionally as Cupcakke (often stylized as cupcakKe; pronounced "cupcake"), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter known for her Sexualization, hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical ...

. A music video for the album's single "Jekyll & Hyde" (featuring Shilow) was released ahead of the album on February 1, 2019. On September 27, 2019, Aja released a Halloween-themed collaborative EP with Shilow titled ''

''. It was preceded by the music videos for its singles "Mama Chola" (featuring Amira Wang) on August 30, 2019, and "The Purge" on September 23, 2019. In May 2025, Aja released an original collaboration with Australian singer-songwriter Greg Gould titled ‘Bloodlines’.

Personal life

Aja resides in New York City. Just before filming season 9 of ''Drag Race'', Aja was in a situation of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

with a previous boyfriend. In December 2017, Aja and her current boyfriend were kicked out of a

Lyft Lyft, Inc. is an American company offering ride-hailing services, motorized scooters, and bicycle-sharing systems in the United States and Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dynamic pricing model based on local supply and demand a ...

after kissing. The driver was later fired, and the company issued a statement of support for Aja. In August 2018, Aja was banned from Twitter for referring to a user who discounted her gender identity as a "senseless cow". Her account was reinstated after a few hours. In a July 2019 interview with ''them. Magazine'', Aja shared that she was going through the process of changing her legal name from her birth name to Aja in order to reflect her gender identity. She said, She further stated, In December 2021, Aja came out as a

transgender woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

, and announced the beginning of her transition, explaining in an Instagram post and

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...

campaign, "I have lived my life as Non Binary since 2018 and have recently began to identify more with the feminine aspect of my identity. Now living my life as a trans woman has brought out worries about different things such as my appearance." Aja uses she/her pronouns. Aja practices Santeria, and she started doing what she called "

sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volun ...

" on

OnlyFans OnlyFans is an Internet content subscription service based in London, England. The service is widely known for being popular with sex workers who produce pornography, and also hosts other content creators including athletes, musicians, and com ...

during the 2020 lockdown. She is

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Filmography

Television

Film

Internet series

Music videos

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aja (drag queen) Living people 1994 births 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women rappers American LGBTQ rappers American drag queens American people of Egyptian descent American people of Moroccan descent American transgender musicians American transgender women Drag performers from New York City Entertainers from New York City LGBTQ people from New York (state) Transgender rappers House of LaBeija Non-binary drag performers People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Rappers from Brooklyn Transgender drag performers Transgender women singers