Awkwafina

Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress and rapper. In voice acting work, she voices Sisu from Raya and the Last Dragon, Otto the robot from The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and Ms. Tarantula from The Bad Guys.

Quotes

Awkwafina induces the panic attacks and Nora takes them, [she has] a kind of abject confidence that people outgrow in adulthood.
- On how her alter ego differs from her real-life self “Awkwafina: 'No Turning Back'” in NPR (2018 Aug 17)

There is a duality between Awkwafina and Nora. Awkwafina is someone who never grew up, who never had to bear the brunt of all the insecurities and overthinking that come with adulthood. Awkwafina is the girl I was in high school – who did not give a hoot. Nora is neurotic and an overthinker and could never perform in front of an audience of hecklers.
- On how her alter ego helps her cope with adulthood in “Awkwafina: ‘I was always the crazy one, the funny one. I’d do anything for a laugh’” in The Guardian (2018 Jun 17)

When I first started, YouTube was known as Asian Hollywood…A lot of these Asian YouTubers popped off because they’re in control of their own content. There’s no gatekeeper on YouTube.
- On her debut on YouTube in 2011 which brought her into public attention in “Awkwafina ‘never thought’ she’d have a career in show business” in CNBC (2019 Jul 26)

People say that you’re never famous as an Asian-American ‘til you make it to the Chinese newspaper… You could be on the cover of Time, and your parents won’t recognize you until you are on that newspaper!
- On what is considered celebrity in the Asian American community in “Awkwafina Finds Herself in The Farewell” in Vanity Fair (2019 Jul 12)