Tyrese Gibson keeps busy

6/9/2012

Driving along one of Los Angeles' busy freeways, Tyrese Gibson isn't wasting a single minute.

"Man, I'm always in motion; I'm in motion at all times trying to get a lot of different things going," says Gibson, juggling an interview and various business calls as he heads to his daily workout. "There is a way to do some multitasking and accomplish some great things. I'm on a mission."

The 33-year-old South Central L.A. native — a former model, successful singer, in-demand actor and best-selling author — has solidified his place as one of the top multi-hyphenates in entertainment.

Most recently seen in the last Transformers film, Gibson has been busy gearing up for the sixth installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise, which is set to begin shooting this summer. "I've been in the gym working out, trying to get ready for the movie," he says.

In between his film work, Gibson has also been focusing on some musical pursuits, including the release, earlier this year, of his fifth studio album, "Open Invitation."

"Music is always my first and only love," he says. "I have a great deal of respect and passion for acting. But as far as my real love — love — it's definitely music."

The singer recently announced that TGT, the long-rumored supergroup with fellow R&B performers Tank and Ginuwine is finally finishing its debut album. "We're all great friends and all in the same genre, the same lane, so to speak," Gibson says. "We got to talking and it's like, ‘Man, we could really do something if we did this together.'?"

"The idea is that we built our careers solo, all by ourselves, and now we're going to be in a group together. It's almost like we've formed the R&B Avengers," says Gibson, laughing.

Gibson stresses that TGT's album, slated for an early-2013 release, will be a purist effort. "This mission here is just to put our hearts on the mike," he says. "We just want to remind the fans of what real, true R&B is.

"I think a lot of artists that initiated their careers in R&B feel the need to go do house and techno and all this mainstream music — which is fine, ‘cause all music is good music. But we're gonna get back to the true R&B that the fans really know and love. That's what the goal is."

In addition to his work as a singer and actor, Gibson has also become an author. Last year, he released The New York Times best-selling memoir/self-help volume How to Get Out of Your Own Way (the book came out in paperback recently). Gibson says he was motivated to share the life and professional lessons he has learned.

"I know that people are inspired by success," he says. "A lot of people have success but are stingy, and they don't want to tell people what it takes to get it. I've just never been that dude who wants to keep good information to myself. So I just felt a certain responsibility to write the book."