Pop auteur Charlie Puth continues the slow reveal of his next era with “Home,” a tender new single featuring Japanese pop luminary Hikaru Utada.
Released this week, the mid-tempo duet serves as the third preview of Puth’s upcoming fourth studio album, Whatever’s Clever!, arriving March 27. The track folds vulnerability, distance and devotion into a bilingual ballad that explores the ache of loving someone far away.
“Home” draws its emotional core from Puth’s relationship with his wife, Brooke Sansone. Built around a sparse beat and hushed vocals, the song lingers in quiet moments of longing.
Puth opens the track with soft introspection, singing, “Through the rose colored lenses/ And the white picket fences/ No matter how good this is/ It could never satisfy.” The chorus lands with a simple truth: “Ooo, don’t you know?/ That you’re the one who makes this house a home/ And so, when you go, It feels so cold without the soul,/ You’re the one who makes this house a home.”
In a press statement, Charlie Puth shared the personal inspiration behind the song. “Home was written for my best friend, wife and soon-to-be mother of our first child,” he said.
“Brooke has changed my life for the better and given me a whole new perspective on why and where I belong in this world. Everything makes sense with her … and to have the honor of one of my favorite artists, Hikaru Utada featuring on this song with me, is a true gift. She gives the song a depth and beauty that I’m so grateful for. She is incredible! I hope you all enjoy is as much as I did making it.”
Directed by Hunter Moreno, the accompanying video mirrors the song’s emotional distance. Puth wanders through a vast, empty home while Utada appears in a separate minimalist space, singing in Japanese about solitude and longing. In translated lyrics, she reflects: “Not compromising to anyone/ I built my very own castle/ But it’s you I was missing/ Please let me say ‘I’m Home’ to you every day.”
Utada described the collaboration as both personal and creatively stimulating. “As a fellow songwriter and music listener, it was obvious to me when I first heard the demo of ‘Home’ that this is a deeply personal song for Charlie that comes straight from his heart,” she said.
“It was a joy to collaborate with such a gifted musician who wears his love of music on his sleeve … and a very fun challenge to contribute Japanese lyrics to an English song, from creating rhyme in languages that have such different phonetics, to being surprised by Charlie’s beautiful Japanese chorus work. I hope everyone enjoys this bilingual song and its universal message.”
– Hikaru Utada
“Home” follows previously released singles “Changes,” “Beat Yourself Up,” and “Cry” featuring Kenny G, offering another glimpse into the eclectic collaborations set to appear on Whatever’s Clever!.
Charlie Puth will take the new material on the road when his North American tour launches April 22 in San Diego.
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(Featured Image: Courtesy of Atlantic Records/ Press)
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