Even today's hottest stars and artists have had moments of "firsts" - their first appearance, first event, first live performance, etc. "My Firsts" is a program where they look back on those thrilling moments that only someone who has never experienced them before can do so. This time, Tomona Yabiku, the voice actress of Moana in the Japanese dub of Disney Animation Studios' latest hit film "Moana 2" (directed by Dave Derrick Jr. and others), looks back on the event seven years ago when she first sang as Moana.
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"Moana," which was released in Japan in 2017, was my debut work, but the most memorable thing was the event where I sang "Dokomademo ~How far I'll Go" for the first time. I will never forget it.
There was a surprise announcement that I had been chosen (to voice the role of Moana), and then I was announced (for my appearance) in Hawaii, and a lot of things happened, but it was all so hectic that I didn't have time to really sink in that it was my debut.
I was nervous at the event, and it felt like it was real, but not that real. There were more cameras than I'd ever seen, and Mari (Natsuki, who voiced Grandmother Tara) cried after I finished singing. Natsuki and the director, who was visiting Japan, also gave me kind words, and I felt a great sense of relief when the event ended, but more than anything, I gradually felt the reality that "Ah, I'm going to do (Moana)."
I still think that the tension I felt was something I'll never experience again. I was also nervous when I sang "Beyond" at the "Moana 2" event, but I realized that it was a little different the first time. The sense of responsibility, tension, relief, and realization that I had become the role of Moana are all things that really left an impression on me.
When I performed the song in "Moana 2", there were many people who really liked Moana and had high expectations of me, so I felt a sense of responsibility and a desire to do it properly, so in that sense, there was a different pressure and a different sense of tension. I thought that was very similar to Moana herself, so I thought I was able to put my feelings into the song. Seven years have passed, so in a sense, I was self-conscious, but I also wanted to sing purely as Moana, so I think it was a different experience for me.
Tomona Yabiku Born June 6, 1994, Okinawa Prefecture. Won the top prize at the 2016 "Gather! Musical Nodojiman" music contest. She made her debut as the voice actress of Moana in the Japanese dubbed version of the Disney animated film "Moana" released in Japan in 2017. She has since appeared in the stage production of "Sea of Flesh" and musicals such as "Sister Act," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Les Miserables," and "Miss Saigon." She voiced Moana again in "Moana 2," which was released on December 6. She appeared with Matsuya Onoe, who voices Maui, in a Disney medley on "Music Station SUPER LIVE 2024" (TV Asahi), which was broadcast live on December 27.
