Auli'i Cravalho

Auliʻi Cravalho is a Hawaiian singer and actress who made her voice acting debut in the 2016 Disney animated musical feature Moana. Cravalho’s single version of the Lin-Manuel Miranda song “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana arrived in 2017.
Born in 2000 in Kohala, Hawaii, Cravalho landed the title role of Moana, a teenaged Polynesian princess, at the age of only 14. Essentially plucked from obscurity, the high school sophomore and glee club member won casting directors over with her poise, confidence, and strong voice. The film was released in November 2016 to much critical acclaim. Featured in the film was the Lin-Manuel Miranda song “How Far I’ll Go,” which Cravalho sang and which took home the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. In 2017, Cravalho and Miranda performed the song together at the Academy Awards ceremony, where it had been nominated for Best Original Song. Also that year, she released a single version of “How Far I’ll Go” backed by the B-side “You’re Welcome.”
On the heels of her breakout success, Cravalho starred in the 2018 NBC TV drama Rise and reprised her role as Moana for Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. In 2019, she took on the role of Ariel in ABC’s musical The Little Mermaid Live. ~ Timothy Monger