When Gaby Moreno was a little girl, she fell in love with all things Disney. She remembers a trip to Orlando where she admired her beautiful surroundings, the amazing rides, and of course the Disney princesses. Back then, she could’ve never imagined the role she would play one day when the first Latina princess Elena of Avalor would debut.
“I cannot even begin to tell you what a huge fan I am of all things Disney,” Moreno told Variety Latino. “Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been singing Disney songs. When we were living in Guatemala, my mother took me to a recording studio when I was 9-years-old and I recorded three Disney songs. Those were the songs that I would sing in festivals, telethons, and when I opened shows for other artists.
Growing up, Disney was just a really big part of me. So it’s been a life-long dream to sing and work with them.”
The Latin Grammy Award winner sings the theme song for the animated series written by Show Creator/Executive Producer Craig Gerber and Songwriter/Music Director John Kavanaugh. Moreno recalls meeting Gerber and how it led to her singing the theme song.
“I’m so honored to be a part of it, Moreno said about being part of the musical team. “This all came about because I had a Christmas show in LA to celebrate the release of my album. The creator of the series Craig Gerber came to see my show and he bought a record. One day I was invited to the Disney offices and he told me how he heard about me and how he was inspired to but the style he heard me play. So he asked me to voice a character for that episode as well as sing. That was so incredible to me.”
She added, “Music is such a big part of our culture. Throughout season one, you’ll hear different styles of Latin music. You’ll hear mariachi, merengue, and reggaeton. It’s really incredible the amount of research they did to really be as authentic as possible with everything, not just the music. There’s so much detail in the architecture, the folklore, and the food. It’s just a wonderful thing that Disney has done.”
Moreno is proud of the traits they gave to Elena, voiced by Aimee Carrero, knowing young Latinas all over the world will be looking up to her.
“[Elena] is such an incredible person, she has so much strength. It’s so great to see the first Latina princess holds these wonderful traits. She’s going to be such a great example for kids who’ll be watching.”
Tune into the premiere of Elena of Avalor on Friday, July 22 at 7pm simultaneously on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.
Learn more about the music in the video below:
