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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.

Awkwafina
Awkwafina in 2018
Born
Nora Lum

(1988-06-02) June 2, 1988 (age 36)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • rapper
Years active2011–present
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Websiteawkwafina.com

Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988),[1] known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress and rapper. She made her film breakthrough in 2018, with her roles in the heist comedy film Ocean's 8 and the romantic comedy film Crazy Rich Asians. She received critical praise for her performance in the comedy-drama film The Farewell (2019). She has made notable television appearances in Girl Code, Future Man, and Saturday Night Live.

Awkwafina has released two studio albums, Yellow Ranger (2014) and In Fina We Trust (2018). She first gained popularity for her song "My Vag", a response to Mickey Avalon's "My D**k". The music video has garnered over four million views on YouTube.[2]

Early life

Lum was born in New York City[3] to an ethnic Chinese-American father, Wally,[4] and a South Korean immigrant mother, a painter.[5][6][7] She grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. One of her paternal great-grandfathers was a Chinese immigrant in the 1940s who opened the Cantonese restaurant Lum's in Flushing, Queens.[7] Lum's mother died when she was four, and she was raised and influenced heavily by her paternal grandmother.[8]

Lum attended LaGuardia High School where she played the trumpet and was trained in classical music and jazz.[9][10] 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.[11][12][13] Lum majored in journalism and women's studies at the State University of New York at Albany.[10] From 2006 to 2008, Lum attended Beijing Language and Culture University in China, where she studied Mandarin.

Lum says Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker were early influences.[14] 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.[12]

Career

Music

Awkwafina began rapping at age 13.[13] In 2012, she 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.[2] Her solo album Yellow Ranger was released on February 11, 2014.[15] The LP 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 on June 8, 2018.[18]

Acting

Awkwafina promoting Crazy Rich Asians in 2018

Feature films

In 2016, Awkwafina played a supporting role in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,[19][20] and voiced the role of Quail in the animated comedy Storks.

In April 2018, Awkwafina was announced as part of the cast of Paradise Hills, a sci-fi thriller directed by Alice Waddington and featuring Emma Roberts, Eiza González and Danielle Macdonald.[21]

In 2018, she starred in the indie comedy Dude, and was part of the principal cast in the all-female spinoff to the Ocean's Trilogy, Ocean's 8, which was released on June 8. Also that summer, she co-starred in the film Crazy Rich Asians, by Warner Bros. She played Goh Peik Lin, a college friend of lead character Rachel Chu (Constance Wu).[22]

The film The Farewell was released on July 12, 2019 with her playing the leading role of Billi.[23]

At San Diego Comic Con 2019, it was announced that Awkwafina will be part of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alongside Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Tony Leung as the Mandarin.[24]

Television and web series

In 2014, Awkwafina was added to the cast of the third season of Girl Code, appearing in six episodes of the third and fourth seasons.[25] In 2015, she served as a co-host with TV personality Nessa and comedian Carly Aquilino for the spin-off titled Girl Code Live on MTV.[26]

Awkwafina was the host of a self-created short-form web series Tawk, which was an Official Honoree at the 2016 Webby Awards and was nominated for a 2016 Streamy Award in the News and Culture category.[27]

She has a recurring role in the Hulu original series Future Man, which was released in November 2017.[28]

She hosted the October 6, 2018, episode of Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Travis Scott, 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, coincidentally, 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).[29]

Other

Awkwafina is profiled in the 2016 documentary Bad Rap, which was an official selection at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. Produced by Salima Koroma and Jaeki Cho, the film puts the spotlight on her as well as upcoming fellow Asian-American rappers such as Dumbfoundead, Rekstizzy, and Lyricks.[30][31] She hosted the 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAs.[32]

Writing

In 2015, publisher Potter Style, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, released Awkwafina's NYC, Awkwafina's travel guide to New York City.[33]

Activism

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. She has rejected roles that require accents.[34]

Awkwafina was honored as Kore Asian Media's Female Breakout of the Year in December 2017.[35]

Awkwafina 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]

Personal life

Awkwafina resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.[37][38]

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
"Green Tea" (feat. Margaret Cho) 2016 Non-album single
"Pockiez" 2018 In Fina We Trust

Filmography

Film

† 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
Jumanji: The Next Level†[39] Jake Kasdan Post-production
2020 The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge† Tim Hill Filming
TBA Breaking News in Yuba County† Kavi Tate Taylor Post-production

Television

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"
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 SkekLach / The Collector (voice)

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 Pending [40]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Awkwafina Artist Biography". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Court Dunn (October 11, 2012). "Awkwafina "My Vag" (Official Video)". Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Awkwafina is changing hip-hop one vulgar, hilarious lyric at a time". Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ^ AWKWAFINA (October 12, 2013). "My dad's name is Wally. It's not short for anything....... It's just... Wallypic.twitter.com/b7Ng6W41b0". @awkwafina. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "Nora Lum – Immigration Paper, University at Albany, SUNY" (PDF). www.albany.edu. Retrieved October 25, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ^ 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 news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. ^ a b "5 Things to Know About 'Ocean's Eight' Star Awkwafina". Us Weekly. February 25, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  8. ^ "September Cover Story: Awkwafina Establishing Her Presence | KoreAm Journal". iamkoream.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  9. ^ Trinh, Jean (March 14, 2013). "Meet Awkwafina: an Asian Female Rapper on Vaginas, Tackling Racism & More". The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC. Retrieved April 24, 2013. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Awkwafina". New York State Writers Institute. University of Albany. Retrieved December 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  11. ^ "Awkwafina Won't Let You Forget Her Name". The Ringer. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Oceans Eight Star Awkwafina On Her Makeup Essentials". Into The Gloss. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Awkwafina Got Fired From Her Office Job After Writing a Song Called "My Vag"". Galore. March 29, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  14. ^ "13 Awkward Questions With Rapper Awkwafina - Mochi Mag". mochimag.com. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  15. ^ "Awkwafina". Discogs. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  16. ^ Blistein, Jon (May 27, 2014). "Tenacious D Combine Jokes and Jams for 2014 Festival Supreme Lineup". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  17. ^ Awkwafina x Margaret Cho - GREEN TEA.
  18. ^ Ting, Jasmine. "Awkwafina Announces New EP, 'In Fina We Trust'". PAPER. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  19. ^ "Rapper Awkwafina Joins 'Neighbors' Sequel". NBC News. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  20. ^ Lincoln, Ross A. "Indie Comedy 'Dude' Rounds Out Lead Cast With Trio Of Actresses". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  21. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (April 2, 2018). "Milla Jovovich & More Join Emma Roberts In 'Paradise Hills'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "'Crazy Rich Asians' Adds Awkwafina". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  23. ^ Erbland, Kate (February 21, 2019). "A24 Seeks Summer Box Office with Release Dates for 'The Farewell' and 'Last Black Man'". IndieWire. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  24. ^ Ross A. Lincoln and Jennifer Maas (July 20, 2019). "Marvel Sets 'Shang-Chi' Starring Tony Leung, Awkwafina for 2021 Release". TheWrap. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  25. ^ Stedman, Alex (October 1, 2014). "Q&A: Girl Code Creator Ryan Ling on Season 3, Social Media and New Comedians". Variety.
  26. ^ "5 Things You Should Know About 'Ocean's 8' Star Awkwafina". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ "Hulu's Future Man is fun but doesn't level up: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  29. ^ "SNL Season 44 Episode 02 - Awkwafina". NBC.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  30. ^ Frydenlund, Zach (May 24, 2014). "Premiere: Watch a Sneak Peek of the "Bad Rap" Documentary". Complex.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  31. ^ "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". Korea Daily (in Korean). LA Joongang Daily. May 23, 2014. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ "Awkwafina's Guide Book Shows the New York City You've Never Seen". NBC. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  34. ^ "Rapper and Actress Awkwafina on Being a Rare Asian-American in Hollywood". Broadly. May 26, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  35. ^ "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". vmagazine.com. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  37. ^ "Nora Lum". Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  38. ^ Dodes, Rachel (June 7, 2018). "Awkwafina Raps Her Way to Hollywood Fame". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  39. ^ Kit, Borys (January 3, 2019). "Awkwafina in Talks to Join Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart in 'Jumanji 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  40. ^ Moreau, Jordan (June 19, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Riverdale,' 'Aladdin' Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
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