Alessia Cara’s “Moana” Song Up for a Golden Globe Sunday Night: “I Definitely Resonated With” It

January 6, 2017 Andrea Dresdale

ABC/Matt BrownThe good news: a song Alessia Cara recorded is up for a Golden Globe this Sunday night! The bad news: if it wins, she won’t get the trophy because she didn’t write it. But according to Alessia, she might as well have written it, because it’s pretty much the story of her life.

The song “How Far I’ll Go,” from the hit Disney animated film Moana, was written by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The song’s about the journey of Moana, a young Polynesian princess who strikes out on her own to save her people. Alessia explains why that theme is so meaningful to her.

“The song is basically about being torn between staying close to what you’re used to, rather than exploring outside of that and trying new things, and not being sure if you’re gonna fail or not, and wanting to please a bunch of people,” she tells ABC Radio. “So I think that’s something that I’ve dealt with growing up.”

“Being from a traditional family and wanting to explore outside of that…and do a bunch of different things — I was always finding myself just torn between the two,” she adds. “So I definitely resonated with the song.”

The Golden Globes competition on Sunday night also includes Justin Timberlake’s #1 hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” from Trolls and “Faith,” the Ariana Grande/Stevie Wonder duet from the movie Sing, which was co-written by Stevie and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.

Explaining why Stevie was interested in recording “Faith,” Ryan tells the Los Angeles Times, “The song is about love, and spotting the X factor in somebody else, and calling it out and lifting them up: those are all things that fit Stevie’s DNA.”

The Golden Globes, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, air Sunday night on NBC.