Moana: The Polynesian family behind the smash hit songs
Musician Opetaia Foa'i fought for Disney's smash hit Moana to stay true to Pacific culture, writing song lyrics in Samoan and Tokelauan.
Opetaia Foa'i grew up on the Pacific island of Samoa surrounded by its rhythms, sounds and songs. But surviving wasn't easy and his family moved to the city of Auckland in New Zealand. As he grew up in this new environment he began to look into his roots and started to make music about his voyager ancestors. It caught the eye of producers at Walt Disney Animation Studios who wanted him to co-write the music for their upcoming movie Moana, about a Pacific Island teenager trying to save her community. Opetaia Foa'i made sure the smash hit movie stayed true to Pacific culture - writing the soundtrack's lyrics in Samoan and Tokelauan and turning to his daughter Olivia Foa'i to sing.
Olivia has a new solo album out called Candid. https://www.oliviafoai.com/
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producers: June Christie and Mariana Des Forges
Picture: Opetaia and Olivia Foa'i at the Disney premiere of Moana
Credit: Supplied by Julie Foa'i
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 17 Jan 2021 09:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Europe and the Middle East & South Asia
- Sun 17 Jan 2021 23:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected