Multi-awarded singer-songwriter and record producer, Gino Padilla was first noticed by the Filipino music fanatics when he performed with Tina Turner for a Pepsi commercial shot in Hollywood. Upon the prodding of his cousin Zsa Zsa Padilla, he tried his luck in the Philippines. His first major exposure was in a Zsa Zsa Padilla concert, where he was introduced during the late '80s. His single "Closer You and I" was used by a toothpaste commercial, and had won the Awit Award as Record of the Year and Song of the Year.