Tyrese Darnell Gibson’s music career started in 1998 when he signed with RCA Records and released his debut single “Nobody Else” in August of that year.
Prior to the release of his debut album, Gibson appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial that would not only spark up his music career but also change his life forever. He got to know about the commercial opportunity through his late music teacher, Reggie Andrews.
This was after Andrews had received a call that the company was hosting national auditions scouting for new talent, between the ages of 16 and 18, Gibson said on the podcast “Club Shay Shay.”
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Besides linking Gibson to the audition for the Coca-Cola commercial, Andrews also drove him to the audition because Gibson did not have a car or money to take him there, according to Afrotech.
“I was broker than broke. My stomach was touching my ribs. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t have a ride,” Gibson recalled. “It was no way I was getting on the bus, especially with a transfer ’cause it was like close to downtown LA, and I was living in Watts South Central LA. So, he literally had to work a full day at school, and he ended up taking me to this audition.”
But Gibson nearly missed the audition because he arrived three hours late. Nonetheless, he was fortunate that the woman moderating the audition was also late because she was stuck in traffic.
He was eventually allowed to audition for the commercials after some back-and-forth. He passed the first stage and was called back for a follow-up audition, which ultimately led to him securing the commercial. He earned $100 for the gig.
“I wanted to know for the first time ever what having over $100 in my pocket would be,” he expressed. “That’s all I wanted from the audition. I was like I’mma finally get $100… As you can imagine, almost 30 years later everything about my life literally feels like Christmas to this day.”
Today, his net worth is reported to be around $4 million.
