Awkwafina Biography

Nora Lum is an American rapper, comedian, television personality, television host and actress known by the stage name Awkwafina. She originates from the Forest Hills, Queens, area of New York City.

Background

Born to a first-generation Chinese American father and South Korean immigrant mother, Nora Lum grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. Her mother died when she was four. As an only child, she described herself as being "often very lonely" and she was close to her grandmother. At age 11, she began reading the works of Charles Bukowski.

She attended LaGuardia High School where she played trumpet and was trained in classical and jazz music. She adopted the name Awkwafina, and began rapping and writing songs in GarageBand at age 17. From 2006 to 2008, Lum attended the Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, China, where she studied Mandarin. Lum also majored in Journalism when she attended SUNY Albany.

Career

Her solo album, Yellow Ranger, was released on February 11, 2014. The EP includes a number of her previous singles released via YouTube, including the title track "Yellow Ranger" as well as "Queef", "NYC Bitche$", and "Mayor Bloomberg (Giant Margarita)". She is featured in the documentary Bad Rap, produced by Salima Koroma and Jaeki Cho, which puts the spotlight on her as well as upcoming fellow Asian American rappers such as Dumbfoundead, Rekstizzy, and Lyricks. Awkwafina was part of the lineup at Festival Supreme on October 25.

She hosts a short-form talk show Tawk on streaming service go90. Guests have included Kitty, Jean Grae, Hasan Minhaj, and Asa Akira.

In 2014, Awkwafina was added to the cast of the third season of Girl Code. In 2015, she appeared in the documentary Bad Rap about Asian American rappers. She also was co-host of the weekly late-night talk show Girl Code Live on MTV. In 2016, she played a supporting role in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and starred in the indie comedy Dude. In August 2016, Awkwafina was announced as a lead role in the all-female sequel to Oceans 11. In October 2016, Awkwafina appeared as the inaugural guest for "Desus & Mero" on Viceland.

In 2015, publisher Potter Style released Awkwafina's NYC, Lum's travel guide to New York City.

Inspirations

Lum has listed Charles Bukowski, Anas Nin, Joan Didion, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker as among her inspirations.

Discography

Filmography

• Girl Code (2014) (6 episodes)
• Bad Rap (2015) (Documentary)
• Girl Code Live (2015) - Co-Host
• Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016) - Christine
• Dude (2016) - Rebecca
• Storks (2016) - Quail
• Regular Show (2016) - Apple (2 episodes)
• Ocean's Eight (2018)

Music videos

• "Queef"
• "Mayor Bloomberg (Giant Margaritas)"
• "NYC Bitche$"
• "Yellow Ranger"
• "Peggy Bundy"
• "Flu Shot"
• "My Vag"