 |
AwkwafinaRapper, actress
Date of Birth: 02.06.1988
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Nora Lum: A Star on the Rise
- Musical Beginnings
- Acting Success
- Personal Life and Social Advocacy
- Awkwafina's Current Projects
- Filmography
Nora Lum: A Star on the Rise
Early Life and EducationNora Lum, better known by her stage name Awkwafina, was born in New York City on June 2, 1988. She is of mixed heritage, with a Chinese-American father and a South Korean-immigrant mother. Awkwafina's great-grandfather immigrated to America from China in the 1940s, opening a Cantonese restaurant in Queens. The future star grew up in the affluent Forest Hills neighborhood, largely raised by her grandmother. Her mother passed away when she was only four years old.
Nora attended the prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan. In addition to her academic pursuits, she developed a passion for music. She studied trumpet, jazz, and classical music. She later graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with degrees in journalism and women's studies. In 2006, she traveled to China to study Mandarin at Beijing Language and Culture University.
Musical Beginnings
Nora Lum created her stage name, Awkwafina, as a teenager. The alter ego was a way of overcoming her shy and reserved nature. Although Awkwafina had studied jazz and classical music in school, she fell in love with rap and began performing at age 13. Her musical training, however, influenced her debut song, "My Vag," which incorporated jazz elements. The song's official music video was released on October 11, 2012, and became a viral hit, garnering millions of views on YouTube.
Awkwafina subsequently released her debut album, "Yellow Ranger," on February 11, 2014. She gained recognition as a rapper who incorporated comedy into her music. In 2014, she performed at the Supreme Supreme comedy music festival, hosted by the comedy rock duo Tenacious D. In 2016, Awkwafina collaborated with comedian Margaret Cho on a song called "Green Tea," which addressed Asian stereotypes.
Acting Success
In 2014, Nora was cast as herself in the popular American comedy series "Girl Code," appearing in six episodes of the third season. The following year, she became co-host of the MTV entertainment talk show "Girl Code Live" alongside Nessa and Carly Aquilino.
Awkwafina made her film debut in 2016 with a cameo in the science fiction comedy "The Future Man." In 2018, she appeared in the action-comedy "Ocean's 8," a spin-off of the "Ocean's" trilogy. She also starred in the romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians," released by Warner Bros. Pictures.
In 2019, she will appear in the upcoming science fiction thriller "Paradise Hills," directed by Alice Waddington. Filming for the movie is currently underway.
Personal Life and Social Advocacy
Awkwafina has been vocal about her disapproval of the stereotyping of Asians in the entertainment industry. She has turned down many acting roles that required her to speak with an accent. Along with supporting the #MeToo movement, Nora also urges her female fans to speak out against sexual harassment in the entertainment field. She has stated that representing her Asian heritage is a point of pride.
The artist is active on various social media platforms. She joined Twitter in June 2012 and currently has hundreds of thousands of followers. She also has an Instagram page with millions of followers.
Awkwafina stands at 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs approximately 115 pounds. She is private about her personal life, but based on her tweets and Instagram captions, it appears that she is not married and has no children.
Awkwafina's Current Projects
On June 8, 2018, she released her EP, "In Fina We Trust." She is also set to release her second studio album later this year.
On October 6, Awkwafina hosted the second episode of the 44th season of "Saturday Night Live." In her opening monologue, she noted that she was inspired by actress Lucy Liu, who hosted SNL almost two decades earlier. Awkwafina is the second Asian woman to host the show after Liu.
In 2019, the actress will add another animated project to her resume with the comedy "The Angry Birds Movie 2," in which she voiced one of the characters.
Filmography
2014 - "Girl Code"2015 - "Bad Rap"
2016 - "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising"
2016 - "Storks"
2015 - "The Regular Show"
2017 - "The Future Man"
2018 - "Dude"
2018 - "Ocean's 8"
2018 - "Crazy Rich Asians"
2018 - "Paradise Hills"
