“Vaiana 2” heads towards pop: “The ocean has become much larger”, so does its Music

They were still high school students when Vaiana rode the box office. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear “love the first film”which they saw with their family when it was released in 2016. Three years later, a mutual acquaintance orchestrated the meeting between these two singer-songwriters whose paths might never have crossed. The first grew up in Alabama, the second in Illinois. Between them, artistic love at first sight is mutual and, above all, immediate. In an interview, the duo found their cruising speed and responded with one voice to talk about the project which may well shake up their young career. Namely the original soundtrack that they imagined for the sequel to the Disney animated film, in theaters this Wednesday, November 27.

We wanted to have one foot in this world that the public loves so much and another outside to allow the characters to grow and evolve.

Abigail Barlow

Supported this time by a crew that is not always very efficient, Vaiana embarks on a new mission at sea that no one has ever succeeded in. A pioneer just like the two artists, the youngest composers in Disney history and the first 100% female duo to pen the Music for an animated film from the studio. “It’s extremely rare for women to get the opportunity to tell women’s stories, especially in this kind of world. But that said, no one knows the mind of a girl better than a girl.”sourit Emily Bear.

With a jazz background, the 23-year-old learned her skills with the late Quincy Jones before accompanying Beyoncé on the piano during her Renaissance Tour. Abigail Barlow, 25, long dreamed of being a Broadway star before finding her voice in the rhythm of pop. Under the name Barlow and Bear, the two young women stood out during the pandemic by composing an album around the Netflix series The Bridgerton Chronicles .

Their creation went viral with more than 60 million streams, winning a Grammy Award in 2022 and even triggering a complaint from Netflix, since settled amicably. Intrigued, the president of Walt Disney Music approached them to put music to the sequel to Vaiana. “If they were able to create songs where they didn’t exist, I felt like if we gave them moments to build songs around, they would be able to do that.”explains Tom Mac Dougall to Billboard (new window). Moving on after Lin-Manuel Miranda, musical comedy legend across the Atlantic (new window) at the musical helm of the first film, was not an easy task.

But the young women moved forward step by step, helped by Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, already at the origin of the traditional Polynesian songs in the previous part. “We wanted to have one foot in this world that audiences love so much and one foot outside to allow the characters to grow and evolve. The ocean has become much larger for Moana, and we wanted that to be evident in the “Our identity as a songwriting duo is more of a pop sensibility mixed with epic film scores.” souligne Abigail Barlow.

Each country has its own office that takes care of my translations, but I have to say we did some digging. I tried to search all the translations I could find

Emily Bear

The duo’s five new pieces manage to follow the same paths as their predecessors while charting their own path. Heady sounds that make the characters swing as much as the spectator in their chair. Like the brilliant “Invente ta route” (new window)the anthem of the mysterious villain that makes you want to dance. When asked for the number one rule to follow when writing a Disney title, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear assure us that we “can’t sing just to sing.” “There has to be an intention. The scene has to deserve the song, the song has to deserve the scene. They have to work together.”they insist. “Our Paradise,” the opening number, was the first they wrote. But it’s “Going Further” that seems to make the most connection with the first film. As an obvious response to “Bleu Lumière”, the flagship title of Vaiana.

“It’s a similar situation, but everything has changednote Emily Bear. In the first movie, she was unhappy with her life. She needed to go to sea to find herself. In the second, she is happy and has found a nice balance. She feels responsible towards her people. Then, she is asked to give up this daily life for which she has worked so hard in order to embark on this journey that no one has ever succeeded in, to risk her life and those of other inhabitants, and to perhaps never see his little sister again.

“It’s insane to ask that of a 19-year-old woman”adds the one who was the same age when Disney contacted her and her friend. “We really wanted to show his vulnerability. You can be brave and strong, but you can also be afraid. And that’s OK, it’s part of life and it makes you grow. We take all these crazy leaps in the ‘unknown and it’s terrifying’she tells us, really hoping that her message will resonate with “young spectators”.

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Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear know it, their songs will be heard all over the world. The two artists smile broadly at the mention of the different versions, in which they did not participate. “Each country has its own office that takes care of my translations, but I must say that we dug into the subject. I tried to search for all the translations I could find”laughs the youngest of the pair who takes care to speak of Vaiana and not Moana, the original name of the heroine.

“I heard the French version of ‘Beyond’ (‘Aller plus loin’, editor’s note), it’s so beautiful! I have French family, my parents speak French, but not me!”she tells us, laughing. Her friend tells us that she wants “take French lessons”. “I hope to be able to sing it in French soon!”she tells us. The appointment is made at the local karaoke.

>> Vaiana 2 (1h40) – with the voices of Cerise Calixte, Anthony Kavanagh and Mareva Galanter, currently in cinemas