From Moana to a Rhino: Auli’i Cravahlo Helps Kids Love Their ‘Perfect Me’ With Sweet ‘Lulu Is a Rhinoceros’ Song

Ahead of the premiere of the new Apple TV+ animated special Lulu Is a Rhinoceros on Friday, Billboard Family has your exclusive first listen of the uplifting self-love anthem “The Perfect Me.”

The adorable ditty features Auli’i Cravahlo‘s Lulu, Dulé Hill’s Flom Flom and Utkarsh Ambudkar’s Hip-Hop celebrating their best and most authentic selves as they sing, “The perfect me is me/ The perfect you is you/ And when we listen to each other/ The whole world is more in tune, yeah!/ Who I am’s up to me/ Nothing I have to prove/ I’m easy to love, I’m good enough/ The perfect you is you!”

Coinciding with the premiere, Cravalho and creators Jason and Allison Flom shared exclusive statements with Billboard about the inspirational message that both kids and adults can take from “The Perfect Me.”

“I adore Lulu for her enthusiastic spirit, and her innate wisdom of knowing exactly who she is,” the Moana star tells Billboard. “The song ‘The Perfect Me’ was a lot of fun to record; and while the message is simple, it felt meaningful to belt out! Others might say how you should look or act, but you are whole and complete without alI that outside noise. It’s honestly really catchy, and I definitely left the studio in a better mood that day.”

Meanwhile, the Floms — who penned the original children’s book together and serve as executive producers on the animated special — shared their own thoughts on the self-love anthem. “To write these lyrics, I started from, ‘The rhino of my dreams is me’ and ‘I am easy to love,’” Allison says. “In the song, Lulu, Flom-Flom and Hip-Hop each have a verse where they affirm: ‘Who I am is up to me/ Nothing I have to prove/ I’m easy to love/ I’m good enough…The perfect you is you!”

Jason adds: “Each of them reminds us that there’s much more to them than everyone else thinks and assumes. … We think everyone, not just kids, will connect to ‘The Perfect Me,’ and maybe they’ll get a boost of confidence every time they hear it.”

Once Lulu Is a Rhinoceros arrives on Apple TV+ on Friday, the special’s soundtrack will be available on Apple Music and other streaming platforms as well.

Pop songwriter LELAND serves as the special’s musical producer, and he tells Billboard: “Finding the right melodies and chords to pair with the brilliant lyrics written by Allison Flom was a challenge I welcomed. I aimed to compose melodies that felt conclusive, exciting, and easy enough for a child to sing after just a few listens. I remembered the songs I loved as a kid in my favorite musical specials or movies and how they’ve stuck with me to this day. The message of ‘The Perfect Me’ is simple and important and something we should all be reminded of whether we’re kids or adults.”

Watch the exclusive premiere of “The Perfect Me” from Lulu Is a Rhinoceros below.