Congolese Tresor has travelled far and wide to find a musical home, writes Munya Vomo
We don’t often talk about it the way Americans do in Hollywood films, but many people flock to this country in pursuit of the South African dream. While rewarding, this dream is often elusive and it takes determined individuals to attain it. Tresor is one such individual.
“I grew up in Goma, a small town in the Congo. During the Rwandan genocide, Goma was the getaway destination for people who fled the killings. Schools closed due to over-population and our parents started to take us to church and in time I got involved with the music there. A few years later I got my mother to buy me a guitar. I started playing when I was 11 and have been jamming since,” he said.
The troubadour had big dreams that saw him pack his few possessions and move from one city to the next
“I was an adventurous young kid and started travelling across the continent, going through countries like Tanzania, Burundi and even Rwanda to play music. I used to play drums for many other bands. I knew this was what I wanted so I travelled and stayed in many countries. My album is called Seven to honour the seven years that I have been away from home,” he said.
Typical of any parents, Tresor’s mother and father preferred that he went the “safer” route to find success in life.
“My parents wanted me to be a doctor, and I might have wanted to be a lawyer at some stage, but about seven years ago I decided to go with music because that’s where I was the happiest because it was passion,” he said.
Tasting some success and hungry for more, Tresor travelled closer and closer to South Africa.
“I travelled southward through Malawi and Mozambique and ended up in Durban. I worked there as a car guard for a bit. I had saved up some money and sent it to a cousin who was here for me to use when I arrived, but he spent it so I had to decide to become a criminal or earn an honest living which meant starting at the bottom,” he said.
In time, and through sheer determination, the man’s tide of fortune turned for the better.
“My luck changed gradually and I worked in music, although bit by bit. For instance, I got a job as a waiter and in my free time I would open for people like Eddie Grant and The Parlotones. People would then see me serving at tables the next day and would want to know why and I would explain that I didn’t make enough money,” he said.
“I entered a songwriting competition and won which opened a number of doors for me. I even ended up writing for Zahara on her second album thanks to Universal Music giving me that opportunity. I did a lot of singles which were played on Trace and MTV, but I did not know how to make a business out of it. I needed a team to help me,” he added.
Now signed to Vth Season under Raphael Benza, Tresor reflected on how the relationship started: “I knew Benza through Universal (my publisher) for about a year-and- a-half and we chatted about working together, but he wasn’t sure. I went back home after making money from the Zahara project and it was a life-changing moment. I came back very happy and started writing and Mt. Everest was one of the songs that came out of it. When I asked Benza to listen to it, he said he wanted to sign me on the spot. AKA heard the song and jumped on it and it has done really well.”
That union brought about many things for Tresor, but of note was the inclusion of AKA on the hit track Mt. Everest.
“Mt. Everest was released in Europe by Time Records, who also do Avicii. I have done another song with Beatenberg called Never Let Me Go, which is doing very well on radio. My sound is a fusion of pop and African music and it depends on the state of mind I am in. I try to make it as accessible to all genres as possible,” he said.
Growing up in a French-speaking country, and being exposed to Swahili, English came as a challenge to Tresor, yet it did not stop him from entering the English market.
“The beauty about music is that it is a universal language. In my first band none of the members understood each other’s home languages, but people really loved the music. Our manager would speak between songs because we could not speak English. Growing up, I loved the likes of Phil Collins, Bob Marley and everything that was popular on the English side. We did not understand it, but we enjoyed it so I want to do the same in my music. I want to be on the same level with Sam Smith or Bruno Mars, but from South Africa,” he said.
Given that he is on his way to tour Europe, Tresor is achieving the status he’s looking for.