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Awkwafina

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This article is about the entertainer. For her television series, see Awkwafina (TV series).
Not to be confused with Aquafina


Nora Lum (born June 2, 1989),[1] known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress and rapper. She is best known for her breakthrough roles in films Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). She received critical praise for her performance in the film The Farewell (2019).

She has released two albums, Yellow Ranger (2014) and In Fina We Trust (2018). She has also ventured into comedy and hosting, making notable television appearances in Girl Code, Future Man, and Saturday Night Live.

Early life[]

Lum was born in New York City to an ethnic Chinese-American father, Wally, and a South Korean immigrant mother, a painter.[2][3][4][5][6] She grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. Her mother died when Lum was four, and she was raised and influenced heavily by her paternal grandmother.[7] One of her paternal great-grandfathers was a Chinese immigrant in the 1940s who opened the Cantonese restaurant Lum's in Flushing, Queens.[6]

Lum attended LaGuardia High School where she played the trumpet and was trained in classical music and jazz.[8][9] At age 16, she adopted the stage name Awkwafina, "definitely a person I repressed" and an alter ego to her "quiet and more passive" personality during her college years.[10][11][12] Lum majored in journalism and women's studies at the State University of New York at Albany.[9] From 2006 to 2008, Lum attended Beijing Language and Culture University in China, where she studied Mandarin.

Lum states that Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker were early influences.[13] Prior to her career in entertainment, she was an intern at local New York publications Gotham Gazette and the Times Union newspaper in Albany, and was a publicity assistant for publishing house Rodale.[11]

Career[]

Music[]

Awkwafina began rapping at age 13.[12] In 2012, she first gained popularity for her song "My Vag", a response to Mickey Avalon's "My Dick". The music video has garnered over four million views on YouTube.[14] Her solo Hip hop album Yellow Ranger was released on February 11, 2014.[15] The album consists of 11 tracks and includes a number of her previous singles released via YouTube, including the title track "Yellow Ranger", "Queef" and "NYC Bitche$".

She was part of the lineup at Tenacious D's Festival Supreme on October 25, 2014.[16] In 2016, she collaborated with comedian Margaret Cho on "Green Tea", a song that pokes fun at Asian stereotypes.[17]

She released an EP called In Fina We Trust which consists of 7 tracks on June 8, 2018.[18]

Acting[]

File:Awkwafina (cropped).png

Awkwafina promoting Crazy Rich Asians in 2018

Feature films[]

Awkwafina is profiled in the 2016 documentary Bad Rap, which was an official selection at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. The film puts the spotlight on her as well as other fellow Asian-American rappers such as Dumbfoundead, Rekstizzy, and Lyricks.[19][20]

In 2016, Awkwafina played a supporting role as Christine, a member of Kappa Nu in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,[21][22] and voiced the role Quail in the animated comedy film Storks. In 2018, she starred in the indie comedy Dude, playing Rebecca, one of four best friends in the film. She was part of the principal cast in Ocean's 8, the all-female spinoff to the Ocean's Trilogy. She then co-starred in the film Crazy Rich Asians, directed by John M. Chu. She played Goh Peik Lin, a Singaporean college friend of lead character Rachel Chu (Constance Wu).[23]

In 2019, she starred in the film The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang. The film received critical acclaim and she played the lead role of Billi, a writer who visits her ill grandmother in China.[24] She voiced Courtney in The Angry Birds Movie 2, and played Yu in the fantasy drama Paradise Hills.[25]

Her other upcoming films include Jumanji: The Next Level,[26] The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge, Breaking News in Yuba County and a live-action adaption of The Little Mermaid. [27]. At San Diego Comic Con 2019, it was announced that Awkwafina will be part of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) alongside Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as the Mandarin.[28]

Television and web series[]

In 2014, Awkwafina was in the third season of Girl Code, appearing in six episodes of the third and fourth seasons.[29] In 2015, she served as co-host for the spin-off titled Girl Code Live on MTV.[30] She was the host of self-created short-form talk show web series Tawk from 2015 to 2017. The show was an Official Honoree at the 2016 Webby Awards and was nominated for a 2016 Streamy Award in the News and Culture category.[31]

She has a recurring role in the Hulu original series Future Man in 2017.[32] She hosted the 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAs.[33] She hosted the October 6, 2018, episode of Saturday Night Live, becoming the second East Asian-American female celebrity (after Lucy Liu, whose episode Awkwafina cites as her inspiration to one day be famous enough to host SNL) to host the show. Her celebrity impression for the episode was Sandra Oh (who also became the first East Asian-Canadian female celebrity to host an SNL episode within the same season and the third East Asian-American female celebrity to host overall).[34] She will star in the upcoming comedy series Awkwafina, she is also writer and executive producer of the show.

Activism, writing[]

Awkwafina has expressed support for Time's Up, a movement started by Hollywood celebrities against sexual harassment. She has also advocated for the need for more female directors and against the stereotyping of Asians in media.

Awkwafina was honored as Kore Asian Media's Female Breakout of the Year in December 2017.[35] She was featured in Gap's "Logo Remix" campaign, which featured up-and-coming artists who "are remixing creative culture on their own terms," such as SZA, Sabrina Claudio and Naomi Watanabe.[36]

In 2015, she released a guidebook Awkwafina's NYC, her travel guide to New York City.[37]

Personal life[]

Awkwafina resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.[38][39]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

Title Details
Yellow Ranger
  • Released: February 11, 2014
  • Label: self-released
  • Format: Digital download
In Fina We Trust
  • Released: June 8, 2018
  • Label: self-released
  • Format: Digital download

Singles[]

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" (feat. Dumbfoundead)
"Yellow Alert" (feat. Dumbfoundead) 2016
"Green Tea" (feat. Margaret Cho)
"Pockiez" 2018 In Fina We Trust

Filmography[]

Film[]

Films that have not yet been released Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Director Notes
2016 Bad Rap Herself Salima Koroma Documentary
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Christine Nicholas Stoller
Storks Quail (voice) Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland
2018 Dude Rebecca Olivia Milch
Ocean's 8 Constance Gary Ross
Crazy Rich Asians Goh Peik Lin Jon M. Chu
2019 The Farewell Billi Lulu Wang
Paradise Hills Yu Alice Waddington
The Angry Birds Movie 2 Courtney (voice) Thurop Van Orman
Between Two Ferns: The Movie Herself Scott Aukerman
Jumanji: The Next Level Ming Jake Kasdan
2020 The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge Films that have not yet been released Mindy (voice) Tim Hill Filming
Raya and the Last Dragon dagger Sisu (voice) Paul Briggs, Dean Wellins In production
2021 Vivo dagger TBA (voice) Kirk DeMicco In production
TBA Breaking News in Yuba County Films that have not yet been released Kavi Tate Taylor Post-production
TBA The Little Mermaid Films that have not yet been released Scuttle Rob Marshall

Television[]

Key
Denotes series that have not yet been released Denotes series that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2014–2015 Girl Code Herself 6 episodes
2015 Girl Code Live Herself (co-host) 1 episode
Regular Show Apple (voice) Episode: "Hello China"
2015-2017 Tawk Herself (host)
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 / Dr. Chang (voice) 2 episodes
Tuca & Bertie Bertie's Left Boob (voice) Episode: "The Promotion"
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance The Collector (skekLach) (voice)
2020-present Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Nora Main role; also writer and executive producer

Accolades[]

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2018 Hawaii International Film Festival Halekulani Maverick Award Herself Won
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Best Comedic Performance Crazy Rich Asians Nominated
2019 Dorian Awards We're Wilde About You / Rising Star of the Year Herself Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Crazy Rich Asians Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Comedy Movie Actress Crazy Rich Asians Nominated [40]

See also[]

  • Chinese in New York City
  • Korean Americans in New York City

References[]

  1. ↑ Awkwafina Artist Biography. www.allmusic.com. Retrieved on January 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ Awkwafina is changing hip-hop one vulgar, hilarious lyric at a time. Retrieved on July 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ AWKWAFINA (2013-10-12). My dad's name is Wally. It's not short for anything....... It's just... Wallypic.twitter.com/b7Ng6W41b0 (en).
  4. ↑ Nora Lum – Immigration Paper, University at Albany, SUNY. Retrieved on October 25, 2017.
  5. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lee, Traci (August 26, 2014). "How Nora Lum Became Rapper Awkwafina Instead of A Meat Inspector". NBC News. NBC UNIVERSAL. Retrieved August 26, 2014. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."5 Things to Know About 'Ocean's Eight' Star Awkwafina". Us Weekly. February 25, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  7. ↑ September Cover Story: Awkwafina Establishing Her Presence | KoreAm Journal.
  8. ↑ Trinh, Jean (March 14, 2013). Meet Awkwafina: an Asian Female Rapper on Vaginas, Tackling Racism & More. Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC. Retrieved on April 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Awkwafina. University of Albany.
  10. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Awkwafina Won't Let You Forget Her Name". The Ringer. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Oceans Eight Star Awkwafina On Her Makeup Essentials (en-US).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Awkwafina Got Fired From Her Office Job After Writing a Song Called "My Vag"". Galore. March 29, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ 13 Awkward Questions With Rapper Awkwafina - Mochi Mag (en).
  14. ↑ Court Dunn (October 11, 2012). Awkwafina "My Vag" (Official Video). Retrieved on April 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ Awkwafina (en).
  16. ↑ Blistein, Jon (May 27, 2014). Tenacious D Combine Jokes and Jams for 2014 Festival Supreme Lineup. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on May 30, 2014.
  17. ↑ Template:Cite av media
  18. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ting, Jasmine. "Awkwafina Announces New EP, 'In Fina We Trust'". PAPER. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  19. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (May 24, 2014). Premiere: Watch a Sneak Peek of the "Bad Rap" Documentary. Complex.com. Retrieved on May 30, 2014.
  20. ↑ Jackie Joe movie 'Bad Rap' ... Life of Korean hip-hop musicians in documentary 재키 조 제작 영화 '배드 랩'…다큐로 보는 한인 힙합 뮤지션들의 삶 [LA중앙일보 랩퍼 4인 활동과 고민에 초점 장편 완성 위한 후원 기다려] (Korean). Korea Daily. LA Joongang Daily (May 23, 2014). Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved on May 30, 2014.
  21. ↑ Rapper Awkwafina Joins 'Neighbors' Sequel.
  22. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A.. Indie Comedy ‘Dude’ Rounds Out Lead Cast With Trio Of Actresses (en-US).
  23. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Crazy Rich Asians' Adds Awkwafina". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  24. ↑ Erbland, Kate (February 21, 2019). A24 Seeks Summer Box Office with Release Dates for ‘The Farewell’ and ‘Last Black Man’. Retrieved on February 21, 2019.
  25. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.N'Duka, Amanda (April 2, 2018). "Milla Jovovich & More Join Emma Roberts In 'Paradise Hills'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  26. ↑ Kit, Borys (January 3, 2019). Awkwafina in Talks to Join Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart in 'Jumanji 2' (Exclusive).
  27. ↑ https://insidethemagic.net/2019/09/awkwafina-joins-the-little-mermaid/
  28. ↑ Ross A. Lincoln and Jennifer Maas (2019-07-20). Marvel Sets 'Shang-Chi' Starring Tony Leung, Awkwafina for 2021 Release (en-US).
  29. ↑ Stedman, Alex (October 1, 2014). Q&A: Girl Code Creator Ryan Ling on Season 3, Social Media and New Comedians. Variety.
  30. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."5 Things You Should Know About 'Ocean's 8' Star Awkwafina". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  31. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Spangler, Todd (October 3, 2016). "Go90 Reups Awkwafina's 'Tawk' for Seasons 4 and 5, But Is Verizon's Service Struggling to Win Fans?". Variety. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  32. ↑ Hulu's Future Man is fun but doesn't level up: EW review. Entertainment Weekly.
  33. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lee, Cliff (August 22, 2018). "'The summer of Awkwafina': The Crazy Rich Asians star on hosting the MMVAs". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  34. ↑ SNL Season 44 Episode 02 - Awkwafina.
  35. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Unforgettable Female Breakout of the Year: Awkwafina". Kore.am. Kore Asian Media. November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  36. ↑ Awkwafina Joins the "Now Generation" for Gap Logo Remix Campaign.
  37. ↑ Awkwafina's Guide Book Shows the New York City You've Never Seen. NBC. Retrieved on October 25, 2017.
  38. ↑ Nora Lum (en-US). Penguin Random House.
  39. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dodes, Rachel (June 7, 2018). "Awkwafina Raps Her Way to Hollywood Fame". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  40. ↑ ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Aladdin’ Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations (en) (19 June 2019). Retrieved on July 19, 2019.

External links[]

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