Aulii Cravalho was born on November 22, 2000 , and an accomplished actress from the United States. She began her acting career at the age of 16 , voicing the title character in the Disney animated musical film Moana . Following her debut , she went on to star in the NBC drama series Rise, the Netflix drama film All Together Now, the supernatural comedy Darby and the Dead, the Amazon Prime Video sci-fi series The Power, the Disney Channel animated series Hailey's On It, and the 2024 film adaptation of the Mean Girls musical. Early Life and Education Spintax Cravalho was born in Kohala, Hawaii , whose background is rooted in Chinese , Native Hawaiian , Puerto Rican, Portuguese, and Irish roots. When she gained recognition, she resided with her mother in Mililani, Hawaii, and had just started high school. She sang soprano in the glee club at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama campus. In mid-2021, Cravalho announced her acceptance into Columbia University and revealed her intention to major in environmental science .