‘Moana 2’ Songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear Celebrate Music’s Ability to Make People Feel Seen

When Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear took on the role of songwriters for “Moana 2,” they didn’t just level up in terms of the visibility of their careers. They made history. The 26 and 23-year old songwriters, best known for their work on the Grammy-winning “Unofficial Bridgerton Musical” album, are the youngest songwriters to work on a Disney animated film, succeeding Lin-Manuel Miranda in their work on the sequel to the 2016 fantasy adventure hit. They’re also the first female songwriting duo, following in the footsteps of Disney legends like Howard Ashman and Alan Menken to put their own stamp on the adventures of the believed Polynesian princess.

Barlow and Bear received the Breakthrough Award at the 2024 IndieWire Honors event, which was held at Citizen News in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 5. Accepting the award, Barlow and Bear gave a speech saluting music’s power to tell stories that matter and cross boundaries that resonate with all audiences.

“Music is a way to navigate the world,” Bear said during her acceptance speech at IndieWire Honors. “It has the incredible ability to cross boundaries, to make people feel seen, and tell stories that words alone cannot capture. Abigail and I started writing music together because we were drawn to stories that had something to say, and because we believed in each other’s ability to say them.”

During their speech, Bear and Barlow also acknowledged the work they put into this breakthrough moment, and the years of effort it took to get them to this current place in their careers.

“Being a woman in this industry is tough at times, but things like this are a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how much is possible,” Bear continued. “This award is not about a breakthrough moment, but about the long winding road that got us here and the work that lies ahead.”

“Being two young women in the industry can be overwhelming, intimidating, sometimes a little scary,” Barlow said in the speech. “But awards like this, and companies like Disney encourage and empower us to continue on creating and speaking up for ourselves and our art.”

The two concluded their speech by thanking their management team and the people at Disney who made “Moana 2” possible, before Barlow concluded by thanking IndieWire for the award.

“Through ‘Moana 2’ and the incredible village it took to make that film possible, I learned that a princess is any girl or woman who can command a room and has something to say,” Barlow said. “And I know we both have, and feel like princesses tonight. Thank you so much.”

Watch Barlow and Bear’s full speech above, and check out all of our IndieWire Honors coverage right here.

“Moana 2” is in theaters now.