Matisyahu

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Creativity is like a fire in a fireplace: You have to tend it or it will go out. For nearly two
decades, Matisyahu has kept his creative spirit aflame by evolving his sound, melding
genres, and testing the limits of the musical traditions that have inspired him. His latest
release, Hold The Fire, and its leadoff single “Fireproof” takes inspiration from a fire
dream inspired by Matisyahu’s Old Testament religion, which has meant so much to his
spiritual and creative life since his recording career began in 2004 and his breakout
track “King Without a Crown” blasted into the Billboard charts in 2005. In a roundabout
way, those same Old Testament roots springboarded Matisyahu’s music career.

Growing up outside New York City, the young Matthew Miller followed jam bands like
Phish and the Grateful Dead. Then, in Bob Marley and reggae, he found that the
messaging of Rastafarianism was sourced in part from that same Old Testament. The
sound that emerged on his first albums—including his first two studio releases as well
as 2005’s Gold-certified Live at Stubb’s—embraced both the spirit of reggae and his
spirituality and roots in Judaism. Buoyed by hits like “King Without a Crown,” albums like
the Grammy-nominated and Billboard No.1-ranked Youth in 2006, and the Gold-certified
2009 antiwar hit “One Day” (streamed over 150 million times on Spotify alone), he
toured extensively through the second half of the aughts with a high-energy stage show
that has since grown to include more improvisation. All the while his music expanded
into a shapeshifting collision of reggae, hip-hop, alt rock and boldly inventive pop.
Today, he continues to be inspired by evolving musical trends, finding linkages and
loops between eras and genres. Matisyahu’s spirituality has evolved in parallel with his
music, though his Jewish heritage remains a central theme throughout his life and
music. The new EP, Hold The Fire (out February 2024), also finds him reflecting on
celebrity and artistic success. For Matisyahu, “the unbelievable and miraculous feeling
of being connected to our people” is what keeps the creative fire alight.

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