Musician, writer, actor, and rapper, and most notably the composer behind the Broadway smash hit Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to compose two new songs for Disney’s upcoming film, Moana.

Thirty-six-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda began his career at age twenty-two when he collaborated with Broadway director Thomas Kail in writing the score and script for his first musical, In The Heights. With a central plotline based around a hispanic family living in Brooklyn Heights, New York, In The Heights opened on Broadway in 2008 due to major successes during its off-Broadway run. The show then went on to receive a Tony award for Best Musical and Best Original Score. Lin-Manuel Miranda, cast as leading man Usnavi, received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Outside of the Broadway realm, In The Heights received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. After a successful three-year run on Broadway, In The Heights closed on January 9, 2011.

Much of Miranda’s success spawned from the recent rap musical, Hamilton. Written in 2010, based off of the 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, Hamilton gained sixteen Tony Award nominations- the greatest number of nominations any musical had ever obtained. Of these sixteen nominations, the musical won eleven, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical. Hamilton also received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Lin-Manuel Miranda, cast as none other than the titular role of Alexander Hamilton himself, acquired his second Tony Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, and garnered the 2016 Drama League Distinguished Performance Award from his performance as well.    

The initial announcement of this musical creator                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 contributing to the work was made in August of 2015 during a Disney Fan Club convention in Anaheim, California. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who will also be a factor in the film as the voice of demi-god Maui, was the first to make the preliminary proclamation.

One of the songs in question, entitled “How Far I’ll Go,” will be sung by twenty-year-old current pop singer Alessia Cara. The announcement of Alessia Cara’s vocals being featured on the track was made on October 25th, and the song itself was released as a single of Thursday, October 27th.   The song will be sung by Auli’i Cravalho, who lends her voice to the titular character, during the film, and Alessia Cara during the credits.

Hype surrounding the film, especially the music, is strong amongst Bernards High School Students. “I am so excited to see the movie and to pre-order my tickets!” says current Bernards High freshman Kaitlyn Humani. “I have listened to “How Far I’ll Go” and I really like it. Lin-Manuel Miranda is so talented,” Humani adds.

The other song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the film, entitled “You’re Welcome” will be sung by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. This particular musical composition has yet to be released.

Although the film itself will not be able to be viewed in theaters until November 28th, an album containing the soundtrack of the film will be available for purchase starting November 18th.