Gino Lee

Gino Lee is a multi-talented performer with a unique voice and an enormous passion for music, who recently returned home to South Africa after spending three successful years in the USA.

A singer, actor, pianist, music producer and model, Gino wears many hats, with music being his foremost passion. He started playing piano from the age of 6, creating new melodies on the family’s old piano. By age 12, he began to perform professionally in front of mass audiences and by the time he reached the end of his primary school career, he knew that music was ultimately what he wanted to pursue, and there was no stopping him. 

In the years to come, Gino Lee would achieve things that many his age could only ever dream of.  While in the USA, Lee spent the first year in New York City, studying acting at the New York Film Academy. During this time he performed at many different venues around the city, including The Bitter End and the Apollo Theatre. He went on to work as a musician, producer and actor in Hollywood, under the guide and mentorship of producer Matt Henry at Skylight Studios in Los Angeles, where he learned to produce music for film and television.

So why return to SA? The answer is simple. Gino is an South African and South Africa will always be his home. Having relocated to America at such a young age, Gino wanted to return to his roots and establish his name on home soil, and, he missed his family of course. Upon his return, Lee has spent a lot of time in studio, writing and producing new music. In 2016, he released his first single Life After College, a reflection of the choices people make in life. It speaks about the frustration young people face after spending years studying to build a sustainable future. Gino explains, “Kids often study and pursue careers they don’t enjoy or love, pressured into it by either their parents, mentors or even by their own fears. It also speaks about our unpredictable economic climate here in South Africa and the whole issue of #feesmustfall.” This song was a result of the frustration Gino feels sometimes. “Being a musician and actor means you work in a very unstable and unpredictable environment and you find yourself asking the question: Should I have chosen differently? Should I have studied something else? But then you realise that you wouldn't have it any other way. You would never give it away.”