About the artist
Opetaia Foa'i is a Samoan-New Zealand singer-songwriter best known as the founder of Te Vaka, an Oceanic music group blending contemporary sounds with traditional instruments and languages of the Pacific, including Tokelauan, Tuvaluan, and Samoan. Over multiple studio albums, Te Vaka has become one of the most recognized acts in contemporary Pacific music, praised for keeping island languages and rhythms alive on a global stage.
Foa'i's international profile grew significantly when Disney enlisted him alongside Broadway composer Lin-Manuel Miranda to co-write music for the 2016 animated film Moana. His contributions, most notably the song «We Know the Way», brought authentic Pacific melodies, harmonies, and percussion into a mainstream Hollywood production, introducing millions of listeners worldwide to sounds rooted in Polynesian tradition.
His work sits at the intersection of cultural preservation and modern songwriting, using instrumentation and vocal styles from the South Pacific within accessible pop-adjacent arrangements. Beyond Moana, his catalogue includes original compositions and cross-cultural collaborations, such as Portuguese-language renditions of his Moana material, reflecting the international reach his music achieved after the film's success.