{"id":2035774,"date":"2026-07-09T23:22:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2035774"},"modified":"2026-07-09T23:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T20:22:18","slug":"opetaia-foai-calls-adding-authenticity-to-moana-through-pacific-island-languages-a-huge-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2035774","title":{"rendered":"Opetaia Foa\u2018i Calls Adding \u2018Authenticity\u2019 to \u2018Moana\u2019 Through Pacific Island Languages \u2018A Huge Win\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2283254889-e1783638561940.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIf you\u2019ve seen Moana<\/em>, then you know that the songs are not just performed in English. That\u2019s thanks to Opetaia Foa\u2018i. He\u2019s on a quest to share real Pacific Island culture with the world. Opetaia wrote music for Moana<\/em>, Moana 2<\/em> and now the live-action Moana<\/em>, out in theaters Friday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s very important to me to write using Pacific Island languages in a Polynesian movie,\u201d he tells Cricket Media\u2019s Spider<\/em> magazine. \u201cI think the listener appreciates that it adds authenticity to the film.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Catherine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tWatch Dwayne Johnson & Catherine Laga\u2018aia Talk \u2018O.G. Moana & New G Moana\u2019 Uniting for Live-Action Remake Song, Play Disney \u2018Finish the\u00a0Lyrics\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Moana\u2019 Live-Action Film Drops New Lin-Manuel Miranda-Penned Song Performed by Maui & <em>Both<\/em> Moanas: Listen\u00a0Now\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018I Am Moana!\u2019: Watch the \u2018Moana\u2019 Live-Action Remake Set Sail With New Trailer &\u00a0Poster\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\tFinding Joy\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tOpetaia was born on an island nation in the Pacific Ocean called Samoa. \u201cGrowing up in a very poor environment, I was lucky if I got three meals a week,\u201d Opetaia remembers. His family worked hard. But music made them happy. He says, \u201cI saw the whole village celebrating by singing and dancing until the early hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTelling Stories\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tOpetaia wants to honor his people. He knows music is the way. \u201cIt was never a matter of
choice,\u201d says Opetaia. \u201cMusic ideas come naturally to me as a way to tell stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tThe Canoe\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tOpetaia started a band. The band is named Te Vaka. Te Vaka means \u201cThe Canoe.\u201d Opetaia writes songs and sings in four different languages. Te Vaka tours the world. They\u2019ve even performed at the Olympics twice. Opetaia says that there\u2019s \u201ca lot of laughter and love between the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tFamily Band\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tOpetaia\u2019s children are in his band. \u201cIt\u2019s awesome,\u201d he says. \u201cThe music that my children are creating warms my heart. It\u2019s obvious that they love and are proud of their cultural traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tSuper Soundtracks\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tTe Vaka sings, chants, and drums for all three Moana<\/em> soundtracks. Opetaia shares that for the live-action Moana<\/em>, \u201cWe have just completed a very exciting recording week with my group Te Vaka. I\u2019m very proud. Introducing Pacific culture to the world and giving inspiration to millions is a huge win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Catherine<\/div>\n<\/div>
Catherine Laga\u2019aia as Moana in Disney\u2018s live-action MOANA. Photo courtesy of Disney. \u00a9 2026 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/span>DISNEY<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\tMeaning in the Music\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tWhen you listen to songs in different languages, you may not understand every single word. But the feelings still come through loud and clear.<\/p>\n

This article was originally written by Delores Lee and Hayley Kim and published in <\/em>Spider July\/August 2026. Explore Cricket Media\u2019s full line of award-winning magazines for curious kids.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/culture\/tv-film\/opetaia-foai-interview-moana-pacific-island-languages-1236291310\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2283254889-e1783638561940.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard If you\u2019ve seen Moana, then you know that the songs are not just performed in English. That\u2019s thanks to Opetaia Foa\u2018i. He\u2019s on a quest to share real Pacific Island culture with the world. Opetaia wrote music for Moana, Moana 2 and now the live-action Moana, out in theaters […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2035774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2035774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035774\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2035774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2035774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2035774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}