I'm the music guy, I get to wear the music hat, but being able to be that guy in the room is a thrill at this level and caliber.

I have been working on this movie [Moana] since before Hamilton happened.

I think every writer's had the experience of having a really good idea, waiting to write it, and then once you write it, you're like, "Oh I kind of got past the sell by date on this." I'm not connected to the initial spark that was the idea. A lot of that's about staying open.

It was a real dream come true just to get the job [in Moana], and yeah, and we sort of got right to work.

I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal trying to reach my goal.

I think I learned more about writing scores for Broadway by making mix tapes in the '90s than I did in college. You're learning about rise and fall and energy and tempo shifts. You're showing off your taste and your references. You're trying to be witty by - through placement of music you didn't write.

I probably shouldn't brag, but dag I amaze and astonish.