'Just wear a mask!': Rita Wilson reflects on her 'scary' COVID experience, making music in lockdown

Hop on the phone with Rita Wilson, and she'll happily take you on a 10-minute tour through her music library.

"My tastes are all over the map," says the actress-turned-singer, who's currently playing Adele, Gone West and Lana Del Rey in heavy rotation. "I know this is gonna sound crazy, but Justin Bieber did an acoustic version of his album ("Believe") that's actually really beautiful. And I can't stop listening to Bob Dylan's ('Rough and Rowdy Ways')."

But she also has plenty of music of her own. This month, Wilson released two new songs: "Everybody Cries," a mournful ballad from Afghan War drama "The Outpost" (now available on VOD and digital platforms); and the hopeful "When This Is Over," with country newcomer Jimmie Allen. And in May, she released the uplifting single "Where's My Country Song?", a tribute to her mom and female front-line workers.

Wilson, 63, was one of the first major celebrities to be diagnosed with coronavirus during a work trip in Australia with her husband, actor Tom Hanks, in March. She spoke to USA TODAY about her recovery and new music.

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Question: "Everybody Cries" is an emotional song about loss. Were you thinking of anyone in particular as you co-wrote and recorded it?

Rita Wilson: Rod (Lurie, the director of "The Outpost") was in the middle of filming when he got a call that his son (suffered cardiac arrest). He immediately got on a plane and flew to be with his son, who unfortunately did not make it. And I believe he wrote the initial lyrics on his way back to where they were shooting. It's so heartbreaking, because he never expected to be writing about his own son dying as he was telling the stories of other young men dying. So I didn't need much more to connect to the song than that.

Q: Why did you want to be a part of "When This Is Over" (which also features Tauren Wells and The Oak Ridge Boys)?

Wilson: Jimmie (Allen) reached out and asked if I wanted to collaborate. I don't know if the song was written during quarantine, but what resonated with me about the lyrics is that we all go through hard times and think they're never going to end, but this, too, shall pass. So I loved the positive message of, "We're gonna be OK and we're gonna take care of each other."

Q: How did recovering from coronavirus change your outlook on life?

Wilson: Priorities were brought to the surface. It's very easy to get caught up in being busy and doing what you do, but being who you are is a whole different thing. For us, we have a very close family anyway, but it was a reflective time (post-recovery). I have enormous gratitude that we came through it OK.

It was scary. There were times when I was thinking, "Gosh, this could take a turn for the worse," even when you thought you felt OK. That's kind of what happened to me, because it did take a little bit of a turn for the worse on about Day 7. So coming through that, I was just like, "Wow. You can't take it for granted." I've had health issues before, so I understand that you have to accept what it is you're going through. And sometimes you don't have control over those things and you just have to be patient. For me, I definitely have very strong faith. So I relied on that a lot, and I relied on the amazing doctors we had.

Q: Having been hospitalized with coronavirus, how does it feel now, seeing states reopening and people refusing to wear masks?

Wilson: I just don't understand it! It's so easy to do. It's so easy to just wear a mask and go about your business! Don't make it into something it isn't – just do the right thing. It boggles my mind when it becomes something other than it is, which is a public health issue.

Q: Did you find lockdown to be a fruitful time for making music?

Wilson: It was an enormously creative time – I was not expecting that. I did a lot of writing, and "Where's My Country Song?" was recorded completely remotely without ever being in the studio. I miss that contact of being in a room with people making music, but all the other writers I worked with were very productive. I actually have pretty much two albums done! I'm just trying to figure out how to put them out.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Interview: Rita Wilson talks new music, 'scary' coronavirus experience