Who wrote the songs for Moana 2? Meet Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow

The accomplished duo had successful solo careers before becoming a Grammy-winning team

It’s hard to overstate just how important music is to the Moana franchise. Since the first film released in 2016, songs including How Far I’ll Go, Where We Are and We Know the Way by Lin Manuel-Miranda have become an indelible part of the cultural fabric, garnering hundreds of millions of views on streaming platforms. Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who stars as Maui, seemingly sings his song You’re Welcome nearly every time he meets a young fan.

So who did Disney get to try to match that legacy for the sequel? Meet Abigail Barlow, 26, and Emily Bear, 23. For many, they’ll need no introduction – they’re the duo behind The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, which began as an unofficial TikTok project during the 2020 lockdown and snowballed into a global hit, ultimately making them the youngest people to win the Grammy award for a musical theatre album.

“That was just two writers during Covid that were very sad that Covid was happening, trying to find community and love, that we were able to create and find community together,” Bear tells The National. “With that, we fell in love with the art form.”

Why didn't Lin Manuel-Miranda return for Moana 2?

Lin Manuel-Miranda was indeed the first choice for songwriter for the sequel, says Moana 2 director Dana Ledoux Miller, but because of his busy schedule, the film's timeline did not align with his.

"He's doing Mufasa," says Ledoux Miller. "He's a busy guy, and we had a movie to make."

However, in Barlow and Bear, the filmmaking team felt they found the right fit for the film. "We couldn't be happier with the choice of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. The combination of them with composers Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i really builds off the foundation of the first film. It just clicks in a really great way for this."

What did Bear and Barlow do before The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical?

Their journey did not begin with that project. “It may seem like we appeared out of nowhere with TikTok, but there’s a lot of years that culminated in that moment. I’ve been in this industry since I was little. I got my first credit at Disney six and a half years ago,” Bear continues.

Bear, still in her early 20s, is approaching two decades in the public eye. She made her professional piano debut at the Ravina Festival at age five, and then performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at six. Her skill in jazz attracted the attention of Quincy Jones, who became her mentor and manager, even producing her 2013 album Diversity.

Before the release of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, Bear had six albums and two EPs under her belt – even touring with Beyonce on her Renaissance World Tour. Barlow, meanwhile, has been performing online since she was a young teenager, garnering millions of followers.

How did they react to getting the Moana 2 job?

While Bear and Barlow did not have a master plan when they began collaborating to get a job such as Moana 2, it was indeed a dream come true, says Bear.

Barlow adds: "I think I ran around screaming like a chicken with its head cut off when we got the job. It did not feel real.”

What did the pair learn from the Bridgerton experience?

While both had years of experience as songwriters, the success of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical taught them several lessons that they applied to their work on Moana 2.

“That experience showed us that we can’t write for anyone else – we have to write first for ourselves. With Bridgerton, we weren’t writing for producers, writers, directors, executives or corporate baddies. The only thing we were listening to was the inner voices that say what feels right and what doesn’t. I think as long as we lean into that, we can make something that resonates with people,” says Bear.

How do Bear and Barlow approach songwriting?

While both Bear and Barlow have written songs in many mediums and genres over the years, the key to musical theatre is who’s singing the song.

“The whole point of musical theatre is to step into the shoes of the character and honour their perspective of the world and how they feel about it, so that’s always where we start,” says Barlow.

For Moana 2, the two came on board when there was no finished animation – only a script, some visual development, a few stills and some artwork. First, the pair discussed the ideas of where they wanted the songs to live in the story, and then worked with the creative team to dig between the lines of the existing material.

“We ask a writer for a word vomit document which takes us inside the minds of the character in a different way – just a stream of consciousness from their point of view. I find that to be the best starting off point, because even though we won’t use those words, they spark something,” says Bear.

How did they figure out Moana’s emotional state in order to write her songs?

According to Bear, the key difference between Moana in the first film and in the second is that she’s no longer yearning to leave her small Polynesian village to explore the world.

“She needed to find herself,” says Bear. “Now, she has everything she ever wanted. She’s happy – she’s found a beautiful equilibrium and she’s being asked to give that up.”

“There’s not anyone in her village she feels she can talk to – even her dad can’t tell her what to do. She’s on her own.”

Diving into that emotional state is what led the pair to write Beyond, as well as a song that was cut from the final film.

What is their working relationship like?

Bear and Barlow began just as friends, but have found in their years of collaborating that they have a “really lovely rapport,” says Barlow. “I think we check our egos at the door. We trust each other, we listen to each other, and learn from each other. Our Venn diagrams are perfectly positioned.”

Because they have such different experiences in the performing arts, they see music very differently, says Bear – which ends up becoming a strength rather than a detriment.

“It’s easy to get into a rut in songwriting. You’re circling yourself, writing the same thing over and over again. But for us, we have someone who looks at music differently, who is going to think of things you can’t in that moment. It’s so helpful,” says Bear. “She’ll start singing something, and it will spark something.”

Moana 2 is in cinemas now across the Middle East