Awkwafina | |||||||||||||||
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_2.jpg) Awkwafina in June 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Nora Lum (1988-06-02)June 2, 1988 (age 36) Stony Brook, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University at Albany (BA) | ||||||||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2005–present | ||||||||||||||
| Awards | Full list | ||||||||||||||
| Musical career | |||||||||||||||
| Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Genres | |||||||||||||||
| Instrument | Vocals | ||||||||||||||
| Website | awkwafina | ||||||||||||||
Musical artist | |||||||||||||||
| Nora Lum | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 林家珍 | ||||||||||||||
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Nora Lum[1] (born June 2, 1988),[2] known professionally asAwkwafina (/ˌɔːkwəˈfiːnə/), is an American actress, comedian and rapper. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular onYouTube. She then released her debut album,Yellow Ranger (2014), and appeared on theMTV comedy seriesGirl Code (2014–2015). She expanded to films with supporting roles in the comediesNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016),Ocean's 8 (2018),Crazy Rich Asians (2018), andJumanji: The Next Level (2019). For her starring role as a grieving young woman inThe Farewell (2019), she won aGolden Globe Award.
Since 2020, Awkwafina has been a co-creator, writer, and executive producer of theComedy Central seriesAwkwafina Is Nora from Queens, where she also plays a fictionalized version of herself. In 2021, she portrayedKaty in theMarvel Cinematic Universe superhero filmShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[3] She has also performed voice roles in the animated filmsStorks (2016),The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019),Raya and the Last Dragon (2021),The Bad Guys (2022),The Little Mermaid[note 1],Migration (both 2023),Kung Fu Panda 4, andIF[note 1] (both 2024). For starring and producing the TV movieQuiz Lady (2023), she won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
Awkwafina was born inStony Brook, New York,[4] the only child of Wally Lum, aChinese American, and Tia Lum, aKorean American.[5] Her father worked in theinformation technology field,[4] and comes from a family ofrestaurateurs—her great-grandfather immigrated to the United States in the 1940s, and opened theCantonese restaurant Lum's inFlushing, Queens,[6] one of the neighborhood's first Chinese restaurants.[7] Her mother was a painter who emigrated with her family to the United States from South Korea in 1972.[6] She died frompulmonary hypertension in 1992 when Awkwafina was four, and Awkwafina was raised by her father and paternal grandparents.[5] She became especially close to her grandmother, Powah Lum.[5][7][8]
Awkwafina grew up inForest Hills, Queens, and attendedFiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where she played the trumpet and was trained in classical music and jazz.[9][10] At age 15, she adopted the stage name Awkwafina, "definitely a person I repressed" and analter ego to her "quiet and more passive" personality during her college years.[11][12][13] Her stage name referenced the way that brands such asNeutrogena feminize themselves, and her self-perception as "awkwardly fine".[14] She citedCharles Bukowski,Anaïs Nin,Joan Didion,Tom Waits, andChet Baker as early influences.[15] From 2006 to 2008, she learnedMandarin atBeijing Language and Culture University to communicate with her paternal grandmother.[2][16] She majored injournalism andwomen's studies at theUniversity at Albany, State University of New York and graduated in 2011.[10]
Awkwafina began rapping at 13.[13] She got her start producing music withGarageBand but eventually learnedLogic Pro andAbleton.[17] In 2012, her song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube.[9] She wrote the song in college[17] as a response toMickey Avalon's "My Dick (Tribute to Nate)".[18] She was fired from her job at a publishing house when her employer recognized her in the video.[17][18] Her solo hip-hop albumYellow Ranger was released on February 11, 2014.[19] Its 11 tracks include a number of her previous singles released onYouTube, including the title track "Yellow Ranger", "Queef" and "NYC Bitche$". In 2014, Awkwafina appeared in six episodes of the third and fourth seasons ofGirl Code.[20] In 2015 she co-hosted its spin-off,Girl Code Live, onMTV.[21]
In 2016, she collaborated with comedianMargaret Cho on "Green Tea", a song that pokes fun at Asian stereotypes.[22] She was part of the lineup atTenacious D'sFestival Supreme on October 25, 2014.[23] She was also adisc jockey (DJ) at bars in New York.[24][25][26] She is profiled in the 2016 documentaryBad Rap, an official selection at the 2016Tribeca Film Festival. It puts the spotlight on her and Asian-American rappers such asDumbfoundead, Rekstizzy and Lyricks.[27][28] She released a 7-track EP,In Fina We Trust, on June 8, 2018;[29] it won the 2019 A2IM Libera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Album.[30]
Awkwafina hosted the short-form talk show web seriesTawk for the digital production company Astronauts Wanted from 2015 to 2017. The first season premiered on YouTube and was picked up for exclusivestreaming onVerizon'sGo90 platform.[31] It was an Official Honoree at the 2016Webby Awards and was nominated for a 2016Streamy Award in the News and Culture category.[32] In 2016 she played a supporting role as Christine, a member of Kappa Nu inNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising,[33][34] and voiced Quail in the animated comedy filmStorks. In 2018 she starred in the indie comedyDude, playing Rebecca, one of four best friends. She was among the principal cast inOcean's 8, the all-female spinoff to theOcean's Trilogy. She then co-starred in the filmCrazy Rich Asians, directed byJon M. Chu, playingGoh Peik Lin, a Singaporean college friend of lead character Rachel Chu (Constance Wu).[35] She had a recurring role in theHulu original seriesFuture Man in 2017.[36] She hosted the 2018iHeartRadio MMVAs.[37]
Awkwafina hosted the October 6, 2018, episode ofSaturday Night Live, becoming the second East Asian-American woman to host the show (afterLucy Liu, whose episode Awkwafina cites as her inspiration to one day be famous enough to hostSNL). She did an impression ofSandra Oh, who later in the season became the first East Asian-Canadian woman to host anSNL episode and the third East Asian woman to host overall.[38]
In 2019, Awkwafina starred in the filmThe Farewell, directed byLulu Wang. She played Billi, a writer who visits her ill grandmother in China.[39] The film received critical acclaim. Awkwafina received theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical,[40][41] becoming the first person of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe Award in any lead actress film category, after being only the sixth woman of Asian descent to be nominated in the lead actress in a musical or comedy category.[42] In the same year, she starred as avatar Ming Fleetfoot in the filmJumanji: The Next Level,[43] which was a commercial success.[44][45] In July 2019, Awkwafina was cast asKaty inMarvel Studios'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alongside actorsSimu Liu andTony Leung Chiu-wai. Directed byDestin Daniel Cretton, the film was released in theaters on September 3, 2021, earning critical praise and grossing $430.5 million.[46][47][48] She won theSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance inShang-Chi. In August 2019, Disney announced that Awkwafina would voiceSisu the dragon in the animated filmRaya and the Last Dragon, which was released on March 5, 2021.[49] Awkwafina improvised much of her dialogue for the film, drawing comparisons toRobin Williams' performance as the Genie inAladdin.[50]
As of 2020, Awkwafina stars in the comedy seriesAwkwafina Is Nora from Queens; she is also a writer andexecutive producer of that show. As part of the promotional campaign, she recorded new announcements for the7 train of theNew York City Subway,[51] making jokes, such as "This is Hunters Point Avenue, a friendly reminder that seats are for people, not your bag" and "This is 46th Street, which is a lucky number, I just learned that on the internet. Also learned that pigeons and doves are the same things, WHAT?!", at every stop. These recordings were used until the series premiered on January 22.[51] In a season one episode, Simu Liu made a guest appearance before the release ofShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In October 2023,National Geographic announced that Awkwafina narrated the documentary seriesA Real Bug's Life.[52][53]
Awkwafina has developed a profile as a fashion model, appearing regularly on magazine covers includingVogue, Allure, Harpers Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and feminist magazineBust.[54] In 2018, she was featured inGap's "Logo Remix" campaign, which featured up-and-coming artists who "are remixing creative culture on their own terms" alongsideSZA,Sabrina Claudio andNaomi Watanabe.[55] Awkwafina was honored as Kore Asian Media's Female Breakout of the Year in 2017.[56]
Awkwafina has expressed support forTime's Up, a movement started by Hollywood celebrities againstsexual harassment.[57] She has also advocated for more female directors and against the stereotyping of Asians in media.[57]
Awkwafina has faced criticism forcultural appropriation ofAfrican-American Vernacular English (AAVE) and mannerisms stereotypic of the African-American community.[58][59] In 2018, she said, "I welcome that conversation because as an Asian-American identity, we're still trying to figure out what that is."[60] On February 5, 2022, Awkwafina tweeted, "My immigrant background allowed me to carve an American identity [...] as a non-black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE".[61][62] Certain activists criticized this response as being several years late and unapologetic.[63][64] Conversely,Vulture writerLauren Michele Jackson wrote that Awkwafina does not "conjure blackness any more thanEd Sheeran's bars", adding that, "In conversations around Awkwafina's blaccent, the actress's regional and musical background has been used to both defend and attack her".[59]
Before launching her entertainment career, she worked as an intern at theGotham Gazette in New York City; as an intern at theTimes Union newspaper inAlbany, New York; and as a publicity assistant for publishing houseRodale Books,[12] which fired her after they discovered her music videos. She later worked at a vegan bodega.[17] In 2015, she released a New York City guidebook,Awkwafina's NYC.[65] On May 16, 2019, she headlinedThe Infatuation's annual food festival,EEEEEATSCON where she spoke about her upbringing in Queens, and her family's Cantonese restaurant.[66]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | Girl Code | Herself | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Girl Code Live | Herself (co-host) | 10 episodes[72] |
| Regular Show | Apple (voice) | Episode: "Hello China" | |
| 2015–2017 | Tawk | Herself (host) | 36 episodes |
| 2016 | Mary + Jane | Gina | Episode: "Noachella" |
| 2017 | Future Man | Woman at Video Game Store | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Animals. | Annie (voice) | Episode: "Roachella" |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself (host) | Episode: "Awkwafina/Travis Scott" | |
| 2019 | Weird City | Charlotta | Episode: "Below" |
| The Simpsons | Carmen (voice) Dr. Chang (voice) | Episode: "Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy" Episode: "D'oh Canada" | |
| Tuca & Bertie | Bertie's Left Boob (voice) | Episode: "The Promotion" | |
| The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | skekLach the Collector (voice) | 7 episodes | |
| 2020–present | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Nora Lin | 27 episodes Also co-creator, writer and executive producer |
| 2020 | One World: Together at Home | Herself | Television special |
| 2022 | The Boys Presents: Diabolical | Sky / Areola / Turd (voice) | Episode: "BFFS" Also writer |
| 2024–present | A Real Bug's Life | Narrator | Documentary series |
| 2025 | Black Mirror | TBA | TBA[73][74] |
| Poker Face | |||
| Marvel Zombies | Katy (voice) | [75] | |
| No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski | Herself | ||
| TBA | Unnamed Pet Resort Project | Saachi (voice)[76] | Main role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Discord: The Movie | Herself | WithDanny DeVito |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Yellow Ranger |
|
| In Fina We Trust |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "My Vag" | 2012 | Non-album single |
| "NYC Bitche$" | 2013 | Yellow Ranger |
| "Mayor Bloomberg (Giant Margaritas)" | ||
| "Queef" | ||
| "Daydreamin'" | 2014 | Non-album single |
| "Come Stop Me" (featuringDumbfoundead) | ||
| "Yellow Alert" (featuring Dumbfoundead) | 2016 | |
| "Green Tea" (featuringMargaret Cho) | ||
| "Pockiez" | 2018 | In Fina We Trust |
Awkwafina was honored as Kore Asian Media's Female Breakout of the Year in 2017.[56] For her performance in the comedy-drama filmThe Farewell, she received theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, theSatellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and theSanta Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award, among numerous other nominations. Alongside the film's ensemble, she was nominated for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Awkwafina also received a nomination for theBAFTA Rising Star Award.
For starring and producing in the 2023 TV MovieQuiz Lady she won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.
I was born in Stony Brook, Long Island. I was raised in Forest Hills, Queens. And my mom was, like, a painter and my dad was an IT guy.
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
