At the age of six Astanova entered the V. Uspensky Specialized School of Music for Gifted Children, an elite school in Tashkent, present-day Uzbekistan where she was born, grew up, and where she started studying piano under Professor Tamara Popovich.
Astanova became a star of the October 2007 Classical Superstars Fantasy Concert alongside Valery Gergiev and Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater, hosted by ABC's television host Regis Philbin.