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While in Los Angeles for the Moana Event last month we had the opportunity to be introduced and interview, Opetaia Foa’i. His beautiful and talented band Te Vaka are featured in the movie and soundtrack of Moana. They are a Pacific Island band and add the perfect authentic flare that makes this movie so special.
Wow. It’s like a wonderful job. Alice in Wonderland, wonderful job.
Opetaia Foa’i describes working with Disney on Moana as an “Alice in Wonderland wonderful job” – to be collaborating on the Moana soundtrack with Lin Manuel Miranda (the creator of Hamitton) and Directors John Clements and Ron Musker
He describes how it all came to be…..
Julie, our Manager saw somebody ordering all these, uh, CDs and I saw Disney underneath so she contacted them. Apparently, they checked out a lot of Artists and luckily they chose me so.
When asked how it was like to work with Lin Manuel and collaborating on the creating the Moana soundtrack, he stated that they work very fast and well together,”you’ve got Lin who’s very good with lyrics and directing. And there’s me who, I don’t read music but I do write from emotion.” “we found that that combination worked really well. I’m very childish in the Studio and luckily so was Lin and so we had a lot of fun together.”
We asked him, What’s next on the horizon for you?
“You know, I’m happy where I am now. Just to get here, you know. I was trying to explain to you my journey, it was 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 up my horse unless the opportunity came up.”
Since we had already seen the film for the first time, we were eager to ask him what were his thoughts when he saw it put together with the Music and the story?
“Beautiful. You know, Animation, everything, I was saying, those guys, the animation, the story, everything was just incredible.”
My ancestors would be proud of this Movie.
We asked, What was your favorite song that you created for Moana?
It was definitely “We Know the Way” there is lots of chants, drums, and the telling of the stories of ancient Polynesia. Those are the 3 elements that I always push when writing.
How did you decide how to mix some of the culture into the music, yet still give it a more modern feel?
I trusted that Mark would make those decisions. And I didn’t compromise from my cultural background either. I had many things that didn’t get into the movie – they would dutily say, Opetaia, that was good but we don’t want to scare the children. I’m very, very passionate about the chants of the pre-Missionary Pacific, who didn’t have melodies but just chants and beats and I love that.
In my culture, music is like breathing air. My journey was 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. And to be honest, I thought I’d reached the end of my run, I was ready to hang up my horse And then this opportunity came up. So it’s just extended it a little bit more.
What do your friends and family say about the attention that this Movie is bringing to your culture and that it’s going to bring.
Yeah, you know, there’s lots of viewpoints, lots of different viewpoints from my family but I — I’m very….., you could say cocky on that line. I overstep my authority and I said, look the Ancestors, they’re cool! I understand what you’re saying but the Ancestors, they’re happy.
Moana is now playing in a theater near you!!!
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