Actress and singer/songwriter Rita Wilson and Grammy-nominated Latin pop star Sebastián Yatra have teamed up to record the new track “Til You’re Home” for the upcoming film A Man Called Otto starring Wilson’s husband Tom Hanks.
“I am extremely honored by Rita Wilson’s invitation to join her on ‘Til You’re Home’ for the A Man Called Otto soundtrack,” Yatra said in a statement. “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 a part of it.”
“Til You’re Home” was co-written by Wilson and Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer David Hodges. Its co-producers include Wilson and Grammy winner Matt Rollings. The song, with its warm, inviting vocals over a piano, is already receiving recognition, as it was nominated for best song in a film (independent) at the 2022 Hollywood in Music Media Awards.
The collaboration is a first for Wilson and Yatra, which was sparked after the director of A Man Called Otto, Marc Forster, asked Wilson to write a song for the film.
“I was very humbled and grateful for the opportunity, but 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,” Wilson said. “David Hodges and I had written together before and have always been like-minded musically and lyrically. A lot of the inspiration began with David Magee’s script. This is a movie about love, the depths of love and how love continues even after a person leaves this earth,” she continued.
“There are two LatinX characters in the film – I wanted to find a way to bring them into the song,” Wilson added. “I envisioned it as a duet… I have loved Sebastián Yatra’s voice since hearing him in Encanto, and he felt like the perfect person to do it. We were incredibly lucky he said ‘yes’ and all the planets aligned.”
A Man Called Otto — which hits theaters on Christmas Day — tells the story of Otto Anderson (Hanks), someone who no longer sees purpose in life after losing his wife. He plans to end it all, but his plan is derailed when a young family moves next door and he meets his match in the character Marisol, who challenges Anderson to see life through a different lens, leading to a friendship that changes his life for the better.
The A Man Called Otto soundtrack album, featuring composer Thomas Newman’s score and “Til You’re Home,” will be released Dec. 30 via Decca Records.
Watch the “Til You’re Home” video below.
