Aja is an American rapper, reality television personality and former drag queen best known for competing on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Aja released their debut EP, In My Feelings, in 2018, followed by their debut studio album, BOX Office, in February 2019. Their second EP, ALL CAPS, was released in June 2019. They released Nail in the Coffin, a Halloween-themed EP, in collaboration with Shilow later that year. They currently host the web series Ayo Sis on WOW Presents Plus.
Early life
Aja was born Jay Rivera on January 4, 1994, in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. They were raised by adoptive parents. They used to suffer from PTSD and anxiety, attributing them to a "broken family" situation, but stopped having panic attacks after starting drag. They lived as a trans woman for a year at age 18, later coming to identify as genderqueer after learning about non-binary gender identities. Aja identifies as a person of color. In 2018, they stated on Twitter that they are of Moroccan, Egyptian and Libyan descent. Later, in a 2019 Tweet, they stated that they are not of Libyan descent.
Career
Aja began doing drag in Manhattan at age 16, participating in contests at Posh Bar, the Stonewall Inn, Metropolitan Bar and Sugarland. They were announced as one of 14 contestants for the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race on February 2, 2017. Aja placed ninth that season and subsequently returned to participate in the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Aja was eliminated during the fifth episode of All Stars 3, but they returned in the following episode to compete for a chance to win re-entry to the competition. Another contestant, Morgan McMichaels, rejoined instead, which placed Aja seventh overall. The drag house Haus of Aja, based in Bedford–Stuyvesant, includes members Aja, Kandy Muse, Momo Shade, Dahlia Sin, and Janelle No5. They perform at Hardware Bar. 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 July 2018, Aja announced that they no longer wish to be known as a drag queen but rather as a queer artist, stating to them. magazine: In May 2019, Aja was sponsored by Starbucks to promote the company's S'Mores Life contest.
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, Peppermint and Alexis Michelle, 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. Producer Adam Joseph 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, "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. Their debut EP, In My Feelings, 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, BOX Office, was released on February 7, 2019. The album consists of fifteen tracks and includes features from Shea Couleé and CupcakKe. A music video for the album's single "Jekyll & Hyde" was released ahead of the album on February 1, 2019. On September 27, 2019, Aja released a Halloween-themed collaborative EP with Shilow titled Nail in the Coffin. It was preceded by the music videos for its singles "Mama Chola" on August 30, 2019, and "The Purge" on September 23, 2019.
Personal life
Aja resides in New York City. They use singular they pronouns. Just before filming season 9 of Drag Race, Aja was in a situation of domestic violence with a previous boyfriend. In December 2017, Aja and their current boyfriend were kicked out of a Lyft 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 their gender identity as a "senseless cow". Their account was reinstated after a few hours. In a July 2019 interview with them. Magazine, Aja shared that they were in the process of changing their legal name from their birth name to Aja in order to reflect their non-binary gender identity. They said, They further stated,
