Awkwafina is an American rapper and actress. She made her film breakthrough in 2018 with her roles in the films Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. She has released two studio albums, Yellow Ranger and In Fina We Trust. Awkwafina 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. Notable television appearances include Girl Code, Future Man and Saturday Night Live.
Birth Name
Nora Lum
Nickname
Awkwafina
Profession
Rapper, Actress
Genre
Alternative Hip Hop, Comedy Hip Hop, East Coast Hip Hop
Instruments
Vocals, Trumpet
Labels
Independent
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Awkwafina was born on June 2, 1988 in New York City, United States.
Age
She is currently 30 years old.
Sun Sign
Gemini
Ethnicity
Asian
Her father is Chinese American while her mother is of South Korean descent.
Education
Awkwafina went to LaGuardia High School. While studying there, she learned to play trumpet as well as took jazz and classical music lessons. Later, she did her major in Journalism and Women’s Studies from the State University of New York at Albany. She then joined the Beijing Language and Culture University in China and studied Mandarin from 2006 to 2008.
Family Details
- Father – Wally
- Mother – Her mother was a painter.
- Siblings – Unknown
Marital Status
Single
Boyfriend / Spouse
Awkwafina has dated –
Awkwafina prefers not to disclose anything related to her personal life to the media, so we are uncertain about her past and present relationship status.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 1 inch
- In centimeters – 155 cm
- In meters -1.55 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 52 kg
- In Pounds – 115 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 35-25-34
- Bust – 35 inches
- Waist – 25 inches
- Hip – 34 inches
- Bra Size – 32B
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Shoe Size
She wears a size 6 (US) shoe.
Dress Size
Her dress size is 4 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Awkwafina is well-known for her tracks My Vag (2012), NYC Bitche$ (2013), and Pockiez (2018). She met with critical praises for her appearance in the movies Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2014), Dude (2018), Ocean’s Eight (2018), and Crazy Rich Asians (2018).
Album Debut
Awkwafina dropped her non-album single “My Vag” in 2012 followed by a music video of the song in October of that year. Both the track and music video received overwhelming response from the audience turning out to be a massive hit. The video has recorded more than three million views on YouTube. She released her debut studio album, “Yellow Ranger’ on February 11, 2014. The album included 11 tracks including hit tracks “Marijuana”, “Yellow Ranger”, “Queef” and “NYC Bitche$”.
Film Debut
She had her first onscreen appearance in the comedy movie, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising as Christine in 2016. She also has lent her voice to film characters. Her first voice role came in 2016 with the comedy adventure movie, Storks, in which she provided voice to the character of Quail.
Television Debut
She made her first TV show appearance in MTV’s series, Girl Code, in 2014. As a voice actress, she made her TV show debut in the animated show, Regular Show, in 2015.
Brand Endorsements
She has done endorsement work brands such as Gap & Modcloth.
Awards & Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| SAG Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Crazy Rich Asians | Nominated |
Awkwafina Favorites
- Favorite Movies – A League of Their Own (1992), My Cousin Vinny (1992), Blue Streak (1999), Best in Show (2000), Saving Face (2005)
Awkwafina Net worth
Awkwafina has a net worth of $4 million dollars as of 2019. She lives in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.
Social Media Profiles
Some Lesser Known Facts About Awkwafina
- Awkwafina was just 4 years old when her mother passed away. So, she grew up in the care of her paternal grandparents.
- Her paternal great-grandfathers had immigrated to the United States in the 1940s and started a Chinese restaurant named Lum’s in Flushing, Queens.
- She began rapping at the age of 13.
- She adopted the stage name Awkwafina at the age of 16 years old. It means “definitely a person I repressed” and an alter ego to her “quiet and more passive” personality during her college years.
- She worked as a intern for Gotham Gazette and Times Union and later as a publicity assistant for Rodale Books before achieving fame and popularity.
- Lum cites Charles Bukowski, Anaïs Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits and Chet Baker as early influences.
- In 2012, Awkwafina released the song, My Vag in response to Mickey Avalon’s My D**k.
- In 2014, she was selected to take the stage during Tenacious D’s music festival, Festival Supreme.
- In 2015, a book, titled Awkwafina’s NYC, Lum’s travel guide to New York City, was published.
- In 2015, Nora Lum was featured in the documentary “Bad Rap,” which also profiled some of her fellow Asian-American rappers like Lyricks, Rekstizzy and Dumbfoundead. It was selected for an official selection at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
- In 2015, Awkwafina released a book titled ‘Awkwafina’s NYC,’ which is basically a travel guide to New York City.
- In 2017, she was honored as Kore Asian Media’s Female Breakout of the Year.
- In 2018, she hosted Saturday Night Live alongside musician Travis Scott.
- In 2018, Awkwafina starred alongside Constance Wu as a college friend in the film, Crazy Rich Asians. She created her own dialogues during the shoot of the movie.
- In 2019, her film The Farewell is scheduled to be released on July 12, 2019 with her playing the leading role of Billi in the film.
- Visit her official website @ awkwafina.com.
