Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is celebrating an unexpected musical milestone after his deeply personal song “Your Dad” climbed into the Hong Kong Top 10 — a track he says was created as a love letter to his three daughters.
Johnson shared his disbelief over the song’s success on social media, writing:
“This is insane 🤯 🎶 📈”
“I wrote and performed ‘Your Dad’ as my love letter to my three daughters — Simone, Jazzy & Tia.”
The Hollywood star joked that he initially thought a record executive was calling to congratulate him on the song reaching No. 3. Instead, the executive had an even bigger way of describing what was happening: “global top 10 hit.”
“Yup much better way to say it 🤣😎🎶,” Johnson wrote.
For Johnson, however, the numbers appear secondary to what the song represents.
“Every man wants a son, but every man NEEDS a daughter,” he wrote. “I’m blessed beyond words to be my daughter’s dad.”
He added that the reaction from listeners has been particularly meaningful because so many parents can identify with the emotions behind the record.
The story of “Your Dad” goes even deeper.
The track appears on Disney’s Moana: Voices Across The Ocean, a 15-song project released July 31 that celebrates Pacific artists, culture and musical traditions. Johnson executive-produced the project with his wife, Lauren Hashian, alongside Tiana Nonosina Liufau and Kayla Fa’amaligi.
Johnson co-wrote “Your Dad” with 2023 American Idol winner Iam Tongi, and the collaboration grew out of something intensely personal for both men.
Tongi had been working on a song called “My Dad,” inspired by his late father, Rodney Tongi. After Johnson heard what Tongi had created, the idea evolved: the perspective was changed from a son speaking about his father to a father speaking directly to his children.
For Johnson, that meant singing directly from his experiences as the father of Simone, Jasmine and Tiana.
But the collaboration also carries another emotional connection. Both men have lost their fathers. Johnson’s father, wrestling legend Rocky Johnson, died in 2020, and Johnson has spoken publicly about their complicated relationship and how “Your Dad” caused him to reflect on the love and emotional distance between them.
That shared experience was evident in Johnson’s message to Tongi.
“Shout to my co-writer and brother @wtongi, for helping us bring our fatherly emotions together,” Johnson wrote.
He then revealed that another version may someday come — one dedicated to their fathers.
“One day we’ll sing the ‘other’ version to our own dads who are in heaven when the time is right — in our hearts. Love you uso.”
Moana: Voices Across The Ocean brings together 25 Pacific artists across styles including Island Reggae, R&B, pop, Island Country, soul and dance. “Your Dad,” performed by Johnson, is the ninth track on the album.
The song is also opening another unexpected door for The Rock. Johnson recently revealed that he has been exploring doing more music, citing influences ranging from Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley to George Jones, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.
But with “Your Dad,” his biggest inspiration wasn’t another entertainer.
It was his daughters.
And what began as a father putting his feelings into a song has now connected with families far beyond his own.
As Johnson put it:
“Amazing to see how this song has touched so many of you — because you live it as well.”
