He is about to catch a flight back from Cape Town to Johannesburg after an epic weekend performing alongside Africa's biggest musicians like Zakes Bantwini, Shekinah, Msaki, Sun-EL when we catch up to him.
When he arrived in Durban back in 2007 from the Democratic Republic of Congo as an orphan, he never anticipated being part of the who's who of Africa.
The multi-award-winning, platinum-selling singer-songwriter and producer Mukengerwa Tresor Riziki, best known by his stage name Tresor, moved to South Africa from Goma, DRC.
Music has always been his dream and early in his career he wrote for multi-award musician Zahara, featured award-winning music group The Soil, rapper Kuli China and many more.
Read more | Five minutes with Tresor Riziki
Early in his career, he co-founded the Durban afro-fusion band Maisha who opened for Eddy Grant, Johnny Clegg, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo but he had much bigger dreams for his solo career.
As a former refugee himself, he has dedicated his life to working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHC) as an ambassador. "The aim is to change the narrative at how refugees are seen."
He's passionate about African music and working with young talent. "I am excited about the current ambition of young African musicians," he tells Drum.
He recently partnered with South Africa's cider brand Hunter's. He is launching Jacquel Culture House, a new empowerment project that backs young talent to make waves in the music scene. This will be done by combining real-world learnings and mentorship.
"It's been one of the main projects I have been working on that I am excited about," says Tresor. The program will inspire local talent and bring initiatives that will help young talent grow.
Before his talents were discovered, Tresor worked as a car guard by day, and a security guard by night. In between the two jobs he managed to hustle his way into the local Durban music scene, linking up with local musicians, and music makers, and made a name for himself.
After a long journey that led to his talent discovery, he released his debut album, VII in September 2015 and the rest is history.
His hit single Sondela featuring Msaki was nominated for the 2020 record of the year at the South African Music Awards.
Read more | Tresor on his new single Smoke and Mirrors with Ami Faku
He was recently invited by Drake’s longtime manager and business partner to write and produce Drake's song Fountains featuring Tems off his record-breaking album Certified Lover Boy. "It's been an incredible journey, getting to see all the dreams unfold. I have been enjoying it," he shares.
On his rise in the entertainment industry, he says "You don't really understand where everything will go."
"I had a vision to do incredible things from the start. Writing for Zahara, featuring Kuli China and The Soil on my first album. It all set a great momentum and a great start for everything I have been wanting to do as an artist. I knew I was planning something great, but it turned out more beautiful than I ever anticipated," says Tresor.
His dream is to take African music to another level. "Exciting things are coming," he says.
