Much-admired singer-songwriters Rita Wilson and Sebastián Yatra have joined forces on the new song “Until you’re home”, newly released by Decca Records. It’s the theme of the long-awaited Sony Pictures film A man called Ottowith Tom Hanks, which opens in select theaters in Los Angeles and New York on December 25 and nationwide across the United States on January 13, 2023.
Wilson co-wrote “Til You’re Home” with Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter and producer David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood); she co-produced it with Grammy-winning Matt Rollings, whose credits include willie nelson and Keith Urban. Variety previously observed that Wilson will “enter the conversation for Best Original Song” and that the track is “already off to a good start” with its nomination for Best Song in a Motion Picture (Independent) at the 2022 Hollywood in Music Media Awards.
The song is a first collaboration between Wilson and Grammy-nominated Yatra, with their poignant vocals against piano and strings capturing the film’s themes of love and loss. Rita says: “Marc Forster, the director of A man called Otto, asked me to write a song for the movie. He knew my music and thought I should sing the song too. I was very humbled and grateful for this opportunity, but I also made him promise to be honest with me if he didn’t want to use the song.
“As the producer of the film, my first allegiance is to the film and to the director’s vision,” she continues. “David Hodges and I had written together before and always had the same ideas musically and lyrically. A lot of the inspiration started with David Magee’s script. It’s a film about love, the depths of love and how love continues even after a person leaves this earth. There are two LatinX characters in the film – I wanted to find a way to incorporate them into the song. I imagined it as a duet… I love the voice of Sebastián Yatra since I heard him in Encanto and he felt like the perfect person to do it. We were incredibly lucky that he said yes and all the planets aligned.
Hodges remarks: “It’s always special to be part of the writing of a film, and especially a film as beautiful as A man called Otto. When Rita and I started collaborating, every word and melody of ‘Til You’re Home’ seemed to be waiting for us like little steps on the way to what the story needed. I’m so excited to finally share one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.
Yatra, who won this year’s Latin Grammys and American Music Awards, and has been nominated for the upcoming Grammy and People’s Choice Awards, said, “I’m extremely honored by Rita Wilson’s invitation to join her on ‘ Til you’re home’ for the A man called Otto soundtrack. The story behind the film is heartwarming and moving and I was inspired to convey that emotion in this song. Overall, this project has been very inspiring and I’m proud to be part of it.
The film, directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland), is based on the 2012 novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman and New York Times #1 bestseller A man called Ove. It tells the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), who no longer sees meaning in his life following the loss of his wife. Otto is ready to end it all, but when a young family moves in next door, he meets a quick-witted Marisol who challenges him to see life differently. The soundtrack to composer Thomas Newman’s score, featuring “Til You’re Home,” will be released by Decca on December 30.
Buy or stream “Til You’re Home”.
