As a Polynesian, our gods are tied to water, so this means something special.
I have been working on this movie [Moana] since before Hamilton happened.
This movie [Moana] has a very small cast, and this was the role [Heihei] that they offered me. I loved voicing him.
[Opetaia Foa'i] brought in the melody and the lyrics, but the lyrics were in Tokelauan, and so, we talked about what it could mean and whether this could be the ancestor song. So, I started writing English lyrics to sort of the same melody.
I love our Polynesian designs, whether or not it is coming from Samoa, as I have some of my designs coming from, or right from home in O'ahu.
It was really John's [Musker] idea to begin with to tell a story set in the world of the South Pacific, Polynesia. He started, he just loved the world and he started reading a lot of mythology, which most people are not that familiar with.
It is a Polynesian thing where you are calm and relaxed in your approach to life. But, when you're in the ring, you really go for it.
Pretty Polynesian baby over the sea, I remember the night, when we walked in the sands of Waikiki and I held you oh so tight.
