Biography

Born in Samoa, and raised in New Zealand with parents from the small Islands of Tokelau and Tuvalu, Opetaia Foa'i is the creator, composer and front-man of "Te Vaka". Over the last 20 plus years he has released 8 award winning albums of original music, heavily influenced by the culture and traditions of Polynesia. He has toured with his group, Te Vaka (a talented group of musicians and dancers from across the South Pacific), to over 40 countries around the world telling the stories and sharing the culture of the South Pacific.

Described as "one of New Zealand's finest songwriters" and "a true son of the Pacific", Opetaia has won numerous awards for his music. Audiences around the world have been captivated by the Te Vaka experience. On stage with Te Vaka, Opetaia and the band deliver more than just a musical performance. The audience is taken, with music , dance and drummers beating out the rhythms of their ancestors, on a journey into the heart of Polynesia.

In December 2013 Opetaia signed with Walt Disney Animation Studios as a songwriter for the musical animated feature film "Moana" (a movie set in Polynesia 2,000 years ago), working alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In The Heights) and Mark Mancina (The Lion King). Moana was released in the US on November 23rd 2016 to rave reviews, topping the Thanksgiving eve box office sales for 2016 and going on to be nominated for a number of awards, including 2 Oscars. The "Moana" soundtrack has spent 23 weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and has remained on that chart for all 35 weeks of its release.

On the 18th August 2017 Walt Disney Records releases "Te Vaka's Greatest Hits - songs that inspired Moana", which features 10 songs culled from the group's 8 albums, plus a new previously unreleased track, "Lakalaka."

- IMDb mini biography by: Te Vaka Management