Opetaia Foa’i has received APRA AMCOS’s Billions Award for ‘We Know The Way’, his contribution to Disney’s original Moana soundtrack. The recognition highlights the global reach of a song rooted in Polynesian languages, culture and voyaging traditions, demonstrating how culturally specific storytelling can reach mass audiences.

Released in 2016 and written with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina, the song features Tokelauan and Sāmoan lyrics sung by Foa’i. It surpassed one billion streams across Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, despite peaking at No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100; Foa’i accepted the award at APRA AMCOS’s Sydney headquarters on 23 July.