Opetaia Foa’i has received APRA AMCOS’ Billions Award for “We Know The Way,” a standout ballad from Disney’s original Moana soundtrack. The award was presented on July 23 at APRA AMCOS’s Sydney headquarters.
Co-written by Foa’i, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina, and published by Universal Music Publishing, “We Know The Way” celebrates the rich voyaging history of Oceanic peoples. Released in 2016, the song features languages of Tokelau and Sāmoa sung by Foa’i. It logged two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 93, and was featured on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Disney Songs Chart.
The Billions Award acknowledges streaming achievements across Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. Ant Healey, head of APRA AMCOS NZ, said: “The massive success of Moana reflects the power of authenticity bringing Polynesian languages, culture and storytelling to global audiences in a genuine, uplifting and deeply meaningful way.”
Alongside his band Te Vaka, Foa’i played a pivotal role in shaping the cultural identity of the Moana soundtrack and continued this legacy with Moana 2 (2024) and the recently-released live action Moana remake. Previous Billions Award recipients include Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Flume, Troye Sivan, Tones And I, 5 Seconds of Summer and SHOUSE.
Source: Billboard
