The Day I Discovered TAP C: A Friendship Born in Katondo

  

The Day a Voice from Katondo Became TAP C

The morning I met the man behind the voice that would become part of my musical journey

There are certain moments in life that seem completely ordinary when they happen, but years later, when you look back, you realise that they were quietly changing the direction of your life. For me, one of those moments happened in Katondo, Kabwe, on an ordinary morning when I was walking home with my high school friend, Hillary Chikoko. We had gone to the shops to buy bread, and as we made our way back, neither of us could have imagined that a simple walk through the neighbourhood would introduce me to someone who would eventually become part of my music story.

As we approached my grandfather's residence, we heard a young man singing from the home of my grandfather's opposite neighbour, Mr Mukuka. His voice immediately caught my attention. He was singing K-Million's popular song "Niwe Weka," and there was something about the way he controlled his voice that made me stop and listen. It was not simply the sound of somebody singing because he enjoyed music. There was a natural confidence in his voice, an ability to carry the melody and a certain emotional quality that made me want to know who was behind it.

Hillary and I looked at each other, and instead of continuing home, we decided to find out who was singing.

That small decision changed everything.

We walked closer and discovered the young man standing beside a well with a white bucket full of water. He was simply going about his morning, but at the same time he was singing with the kind of freedom you would expect from somebody standing in front of a crowd.

I remember being amazed by the contrast. Here was a young man doing something as ordinary as drawing water, yet his voice sounded as though it belonged on a recording.

That young man was Enersty Tapula.

Many years later, he would become known in my music circles as TAP C.

At the time, however, he was simply Enersty, a young man from Katondo with a remarkable voice.

I did not know that the young man standing beside that well would eventually become my friend, my musical brother and someone whose name would become connected to several songs from different chapters of my life.

Before There Was TAP C, There Was Enersty

Enersty Tapula was born and raised in Katondo, Kabwe, Zambia. He was a former pupil of BOCCS and someone whose life was shaped by many different experiences. He was strong, hardworking, dedicated and caring, but what I remember most is the way he could continue showing love and respect to other people even when life itself was not always easy for him.

There are people who carry their struggles loudly, and there are others who carry them quietly while still finding a way to smile for the people around them. Enersty was the kind of person who could go through difficult moments and still find a reason to encourage someone else.

His musical ability was not something that appeared suddenly when he entered a recording studio. It had already been developing through his early experiences, including his time as a member of the Catholic choir. The voice I heard that morning beside the well was therefore not an accident. It was the voice of a young man who had already been building a relationship with music.

Our paths crossed during a significant period in my own life. My grandfather had passed away, and I was taking care of his residence in the Katondo Ma Plot area. Those days carried the weight of family responsibility and the memories that come with losing someone close to you.

Yet, in the middle of all those emotions, life introduced me to a young singer.

Sometimes that is how life works. You can be dealing with one story when another story quietly begins.

The Beginning of Our Music Journey

After that first encounter, Enersty became part of my musical journey. In 2007, while he was still in junior secondary school at BOCCS, I introduced him to the music path I was pursuing.

That year, we made our way to Luena Music Studios, where we recorded our first song together, "Usani Nizonde."

Looking back now, I realise how much courage it took for young people like us to believe in music at a time when the opportunities available to independent musicians were limited. We did not have the sophisticated digital tools that artists can access today. There was no guarantee that a song we recorded would reach a large audience, and there was certainly no promise that music would make us successful.

What we had was passion.

We had friendship.

And we had the belief that our voices deserved to be heard.

That first recording became the beginning of a musical relationship that would continue across different periods of our lives.

In 2010, we linked up again and recorded "Not Maleria." Three years later, in 2013, we recorded "Die for You." Later that same year, another important song came into the story: "Fernando."

When I look back at those recordings today, I do not see them simply as songs in a catalogue. I see pieces of our lives preserved in sound. Every recording carries memories of where we were, what we were thinking about and the dreams we were carrying at the time.

That is one of the reasons I believe music is so powerful.

A song can preserve a friendship long after a particular moment has disappeared.

Our Friendship Was Bigger Than Music

People who hear about our collaboration might think our relationship was built around music, but that would only tell half the story.

Before there was a studio, there was friendship.

Before there were songs, there was brotherhood.

Before we talked about music business, recordings or performances, there were two young men from Katondo simply getting to know each other and sharing pieces of life.

My relationship with Enersty does not revolve around music alone. Our connection became deeply rooted in family ties and the experiences we shared as people. That is important to me because the strongest relationships are rarely built entirely around what people can achieve together.

Music brought us together in one way, but life connected us in many others.

There were moments of laughter, moments of difficulty, conversations about dreams and moments when we simply moved through life without knowing where the journey would eventually take us.

Those memories are just as important to me as the songs.

The Meaning Behind "Fernando"

This is why "Fernando" means something different to me.

When people listen to a song, they often hear the melody, the beat, the lyrics and the voices of the artists. They may enjoy it for a few minutes and then move on to the next song.

But sometimes there is an entire story hidden behind those few minutes.

For me, "Fernando" carries a story that began years before the song itself was recorded. It carries the memory of a young man standing beside a well in Katondo. It carries the journey from that unexpected morning encounter to our first recording at Luena Music Studios. It carries the memories of "Usani Nizonde," "Not Maleria" and "Die for You."

Most importantly, it carries the memory of a friendship that survived different seasons.

That is what makes music personal.

The public hears the finished song, but the artist remembers everything that happened before the microphone was switched on.

A Voice I Will Always Remember

When I think about TAP C today, I do not want to remember only the artist.

I want to remember Enersty Tapula, the young man from Katondo whose voice made two young men stop on their way home from buying bread.

I want to remember the former BOCCS pupil, the choir member, the hardworking man and the friend who has walked through different chapters of life.

I want to remember the person behind the stage name.

Because behind every artist there is a human story, and sometimes that story is more powerful than the stage itself.

TAP C is part of my story because we met before either of us could have known what the future held. We met at a time when music was still a dream being built one song at a time.

And perhaps that is the most beautiful part of the whole story.

We did not meet in a famous recording studio.

We did not meet backstage at a major concert.

We did not meet because someone introduced us as potential collaborators.

We met because I heard a voice.

A voice coming from a neighbour's residence.

A voice belonging to a young man standing beside a well with a white bucket full of water.

I stopped to listen, and that moment became the beginning of a friendship that would eventually find its way into music.

My Salute to a Son of Katondo

So this is my salute to Enersty Tapula, TAP C, a sensational son of Katondo and Kabwe.

Thank you for the voice I heard that morning.

Thank you for the songs we created together.

Thank you for the friendship, the brotherhood and the memories that existed long before the music business became part of our story.

Life has taught me that we should never underestimate ordinary moments. Sometimes the people who will become important chapters in our lives enter quietly, without announcements or promises. Sometimes you meet them while buying bread. Sometimes you discover their talent while they are drawing water. Sometimes a simple encounter becomes a story you will still be telling many years later.

That morning in Katondo was one of those moments for me.

I heard a voice.

I followed the sound.

And I found a friend.

Today, whenever I hear "Fernando," I do not hear only a song. I hear a piece of Katondo. I hear the memories of our younger years. I hear the determination of two young men who believed that music could take their stories beyond the streets where those dreams were born.

And most importantly, I hear the voice of Enersty Tapula, the voice that first stopped me beside a well and eventually became TAP C.

If you want to support this journey and celebrate the music we created together, listen to "Fernando" by Netbustar featuring TAP C on Audiomack. Every listen, share and word of support helps keep independent music and the stories behind it alive.

This is more than a song. It is a memory. It is a friendship. It is a piece of Katondo carried through music.