Moana soundtrack sells 1m in the US, third soundtrack to do so in past four years

The Moana soundtrack has reached 1 million sales in the US – the third soundtrack in the past four years to crack 1 million, Billboard reported

The other two were Showman and Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1.

Moana was released in November 2016, and debuted at #16. It made it up to #2 but was kept off top spot by The Weeknd‘s Starboy. It remains in the Hot 100.

In Australia the album only peaked at #2 on the ARIA Chart and quickly collected its first Platinum.

How Far I’ll Go was nominated for the Golden Globe and the Academy Awards, both times for Best Original Song.

For the soundtrack, Disney wanted to combine traditional South Pacific culture with pop and Broadway.

It used Broadway playwright, songwriter and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer Mark Mancina and Tokelauan singer-songwriter Opetaia Foa’i.

The songs feature Foa’i’s New Zealand-based vocal group Te Vaka, as well as a choir from Fiji.

In addition to guitars and strings, the score features Polynesian vocals and percussion, woodwinds made from bamboo from the South Pacific, and traditional hide-covered Tyka drums.