8 Facts About Making the Moana Soundtrack from Opetaia Foa'i #MoanaEvent

You may not know it, but you've probably been singing along with Opetaia Foa'i for weeks now. As one of the musical masterminds behind the Moana soundtrack, the Samoan singer and songwriter performs many of the songs in the film. One of my favorites, "We Know the Way," really showcases his talent.

"We Know The Way" from Moana,
written and performed by Opetaia Foa’i and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Opetaia Foa'i founded the South Pacific fusion group Te Vaka more than 2 decades ago and has been making beautiful music for years, and so he was tapped for Moana to ensure the songs were authentically representative of the Pacific Islands.

We sat down with Opetaia Foa'i to discuss his feelings about Moana and his role in the music of the film and here are fun facts that we learned.

Opetaia Foa'i on Making the Moana Soundtrack

1.) He got involved in the film because someone from Disney ordered his CDs.

Opetaia Foa'i told us that his manager saw somebody ordering all these CDs. I saw Disney underneath so she contacted them. Apparently, they checked out a lot of artists and luckily they chose me.

2.) He got to spend a good bit of time with Lin-Manuel Miranda before he became "wicked famous."

When asked how much time he worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame),Mr. Foa'i said, "Before he became wicked famous, it was awesome because we had a lot of time. So when we got together, he works very fast and I work very fast too, so it was quite an amazing combination cause you've got Mark [Mancina] who, of course, is very experienced along that line and you've got Lin who's very good with lyrics and directing, and there's me. I don't read music but I do write from emotion. I can grab a scene and I can get emotion out of it very quickly and I get bored quickly, so we found that that combination worked really well. I'm very childish in the studio, and luckily so was Lin, so we had a lot of fun together."

3.) Working on Moana became a family affair.

We asked Opetaia Foa'i if any members of his band, Te Vaka, were part of the process in making the music for the film. He explained to us that he had a hard time when he was trying to create music for a girl [Moana]. It was much easier for him to hear the music coming from an actual lady. Luckily, he had his extremely talented daughter for that. Mr. Foa'i said, "I quickly discovered that my voice... when I had an idea with a girl singing, it didn't work. So luckily, I have a daughter, Olivia [whom you can hear in the opening animation sequence with the castle] and so I used her a lot... And my two sons, they are percussionists. They're very, very good. I used to be better than them."

4.) He didn't compromise his cultural background to make Moana.

We asked Opetaia Foa'i how he was able to mix in his culture, but still give the film a modern appeal. He said, "I sort of trusted Mark [Mancina] and [Executive Producer] Chris Montan; I trusted that they would make those decisions. And I didn't compromise my cultural background either. You know, I've got many things that didn't get onto the movie and a lot of things, they would dutifully say, 'Oh that was good, but we don't want to scare the children.' So, after a while, I got the message, because I'm very, very passionate about he chance of the olden pre-missionary Pacific who didn't have melodies but just chants and beats and I love that.'

Later he went on to say that his children may be interested in following in his footsteps in film soundtrack work or Hollywood in general, and that he'd be happy for them. He also added, "Well the most amazing thing is that they really do appreciate the elements, the real traditional elements of the South Pacific. We're very different, you know, and not running down the touristy side of things. There is that side of the Pacific that has been presented. I refuse to do that. I try and present, that it's contemporary but as many elements of my culture as possible I try and fit in. So my children, I'm waiting for them go, 'OK Dad, you're out. But they haven't quite said that yet.'

So, what were some of those key elements that he finds very important to pass on? "Chants, Lot of drums, and the telling of the stories of ancient Polynesia. Those are the 3 elements that I always push. And probably, if you've seen the movie, you get a lot of chants. And you hear a lot of drums, percussions and all those key things."

5.) In many ways, this opportunity has been a dream come true. 

Mr. Foa'i told us that he was born in Samoa in a small hut with no walls. So, to find himself on this journey has been a life changing experience. He said, 'I couldn't believe [it]. I call it an aesthetic Heaven... that people can be around the table and they can talk about anything they like and there's no one running anybody down... it's incredible. So, all that's new to me. In my culture, music is like breathing air. I could never understand why I was always trying to write songs or do something musically. So, it was a hard journey for me to go get a real job. I think I can understand what Moana felt like.... and just to get here. I was trying to explain to you my journey, it's really to promote my culture. I've traveled the world and people got sick of me talking about these people that are the best navigators, best Sailors in the world, everywhere. And to be honest, I thought I'd reached the end of my run, and I was ready to, you could say, 'hang it up' unless the opportunity came up. So it's just extended it a little bit more."

6.) He believes his ancestors would be proud. 

We asked Opetaia Foa'i if he'd seen the film and he said yes and that it was beautiful. "You know, the animation, the story, everything was just incredible." We then asked him about the cultural representation in the film and if he thought it was accurate. He said, "My ancestors would be proud of this movie."

7.) "We Know the Way" is the most meaningful song on the soundtrack to him. 

He said, "The first track that I wrote was "We Know the Way." I wrote that as soon in 2015 on the flight back when [Directors ] John [Musker] and Ron [Clements] explained what they wanted. And, of course voyaging is my thing, you know... Then we got together with Lin and Mark, and we were pacing up and down and getting all the lyrics together. Smoke coming out of us. And they come out with those beautiful lyrics and just slaughtered it. And then we knew something was special about this."

8.) He's simply thrilled that other people are looking into his culture. 

Coming from a small island to a big city like Hollywood has felt like a huge win for Opetaia Foa'i. We asked what he wanted to do next and he said he didn't really know, but was just happy to be here now. He told us, "To get this far is huge for me. It's a huge win. I've won a lot over and over just by being here. So, I don't care what happens afterwards. I feel like I've done my job. I'm just so thrilled, just so happy that you guys are actually looking into my culture. Thank you."

Special thanks to Louise Bishop of MomStart for the use of the photos in this post!

Here's official information about Moana from Disney:

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows why.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”) and produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.

Check out the Moana trailer here:

Moana Official Website / Facebook / Twitter 
Moana arrives in theaters everywhere NOW!

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