Biography
Who is Awkwafina?
Early life and real name
Nora Lum was born on June 2, 1988, in Stony Brook, United States. Her parents were Wally Lum and Tia Lum. Her mother passed away when she was four years old, and she was subsequently raised by her father and paternal grandparents in Forest Hills, Queens. During her youth, she attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where she received training in classical music and jazz while playing the trumpet.
She adopted her stage name at age 15. The moniker was originally a nickname coined by a friend and served as an alter ego for her otherwise passive personality. She later attended the University at Albany, where she majored in journalism and women's studies, graduating in 2011. She also studied Mandarin at Beijing Language and Culture University from 2006 to 2008 to better communicate with her paternal grandmother.
Music career and rise to fame
Awkwafina began rapping at age 13 and initially produced music using GarageBand before advancing to Logic Pro and Ableton. In 2012, her rap song My Vag became viral on YouTube. The track was written as a response to Mickey Avalon. Following this online success, she released her debut solo hip-hop album, Yellow Ranger, on February 11, 2014, which featured eleven tracks.
She continued building her music career by releasing a seven-track EP titled In Fina We Trust in June 2018. This EP later earned the Libera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record. Alongside her solo music, she collaborated with Margaret Cho on the song Green Tea in 2016 and performed as a disc jockey at bars in New York City.
Acting career highlights
Awkwafina expanded into television and film with supporting roles in comedies such as Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and Ocean's 8. She achieved a major milestone by starring as a grieving young woman in the film The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, making her the first person of Asian descent to win in that specific lead category.
She later joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe by portraying Katy in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Her extensive voice acting credits include roles in Storks, The Angry Birds Movie 2, Raya and the Last Dragon, The Little Mermaid, Migration, Kung Fu Panda 4, IF, and the Despicable Me and The Bad Guys film franchises. From 2020 to 2023, she served as a co-creator, writer, and executive producer of the Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens.
Birthday and age
Awkwafina was born on June 2, 1988, which makes Awkwafina 38 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Awkwafina shares the date with 26 other famous people.
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