Awkwafina: A Story of Triumph

by: Tara Woodin

Nora Lum, known professionally as Awkwafina, is an Asian-American rapper and actress most recently known as Katy in the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In this production, she is funny, quirky, and inspiring, and she leaves everyone wondering, “Who is this woman, and where do I know her from?” From obscure rapper to Marvel star, Awkwafina’s journey is a story of triumph. She is a beacon of light who allows the undervalued to step out of the shadows.

When Awkwafina was thirteen, she began her rapping career by mixing, producing, and writing her own songs. Awkwafina found her fame at a time when you could count the number of popular female rappers on two hands, and when Asian female rappers were nearly unheard of. She did not have a large fan base, even though her viral hit “My Vag,” which was released in 2012 in response to Mickey Avalon’s “My Dick,” had three million likes on YouTube.  She produced an eleven-track album called Yellow Ranger. In 2018 she released a seven-track EP called In Fina We Trust. During this time, she acted in supporting roles for highly popular films such as Crazy Rich Asians, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Oceans 8.

It wasn’t until Awkwafina’s starring role in The Farewell that people began to notice her incredible talent. She made history as the first Asian American woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy. Not only did The Farewell make history, but it also broke boundaries. The Farewell is an emotional, insightful piece about a family coming together to say goodbye to their matriarch, without her knowing that they are saying goodbye. The difference in how the eastern and western worlds handle death is showcased when Billi (Awkwafina) leaves her life in New York to join her family in China. As they all pretend nothing is wrong, Billi is often unable to keep her emotions in check. Her family in China would rather she enjoy the rest of her life without being burdened with the knowledge of her mortality. In America, the film argues, we are all too often constantly burdened with just that knowledge.

Awkwafina’s hope in making this movie was to transcend the bounds of cultural division to have more ethnic inclusion. She told Variety that “this movie will teach us universality out of specificity. There’s something that we can all kind of relate to across cultures. There’s something we still have to learn about different cultures.” This film is spoken in a mix of English, Chinese, and a little Japanese. It is based mostly in China. And yet it allows us to see that when it comes down to it, people are just people. We all have family issues that transcend backgrounds and bring people together. Awkwafina and The Farewell are at the forefront of a movement where movies starring Asian actors become more mainstream. With a worldwide gross of twenty-three million dollars, they seem to be off to a good start.

More recently, Awkwafina was the voice of Sisu in Disney’s animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. Even though it is animated, her personality emerges through her voice on screen. Additionally, she was the second Asian American woman to host Saturday Night Live. She stars in Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, a program on Comedy Central.

Awkwafina refuses to be okay with a non-Asian director writing the Asian experience for an Asian character. She is a presence and a force. She stands by her values, despite the criticisms she’s gotten along the way. She makes it okay for you to be unapologetically yourself. Her career continues to advance, and she uses each opportunity to springboard to larger projects. All the while, she never veers from being true to who she is, as evidenced by her unique stage name, which she got from the Nestle water brand Aquafina. She doesn’t let her ethnicity or her gender get in the way of her making her mark on the world. By busting down barriers for herself, she has opened the door for girls like her to do the same.