Biography

Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania as Matthew Miller; his family eventually settled in White Plains, New York. He also has a younger sister named Julie. He was brought up a Reconstructionist Jew, and attended Hebrew school at Bet Am Shalom, a synagogue located in White Plains. He performed for over a year under the alias MC Truth in Bend, Oregon’s Soulfori band. He spent some time as a young man as a self-professed “phish-head,” taking hallucinogens and following the rock band Phish on tour.

In 1996, Matisyahu took part in a semester-long program that offers students first-hand exploration of Jewish heritage at the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon, Israel. His experiences there significantly affected his feelings towards Judaism eventually leading to his decision to adopt Orthodox Judaism, becoming a Baal Teshuva around 2001. Initially he found his way to the Carlebach Shul on the West Side of Manhattan. Matisyahu then found his way to Chabad of Washington Square. He finished high school at a wilderness program in Bend, Oregon. Matisyahu then began playing with the Jewish band Pey Dalid.

From 2001 through most of his early career until July 2007, Matisyahu was affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. However, as of July 17, 2007, he told the Miami New Times in an interview that he no longer “necessarily” identifies with the Lubavitch movement. In the interview, he stated that “…the more I’m learning about other types of Jews, I don’t want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in.” Additionally, in the autumn of 2007 while on a family vacation spent primarily in Jerusalem’s Nachlaot neighborhood, he has expressed interest in another Hasidic sect, that of Karlin. As of November 2007 he has confirmed a preference to pray at the Karliner synagogue in Boro Park where the custom is to ecstatically scream prayers; however he continues to reside in Crown Heights because of his wife’s affinity for the community.

Soon after his adoption of hasidism, Matisyahu began studying Torah at Hadar Hatorah, a yeshiva for returnees to Judaism where he wrote and recorded his first album. He counts Bob Marley, Phish, God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations and gives credit to Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s book Toward a Meaningful Life for the lyrical inspiration to Youth’s title track. As part of his faith, he does not perform in concert on Friday nights in observance of the Jewish Sabbath. An exception to this occurred at a 2007 concert in Anchorage, Alaska, which was allowed because the sun didn’t set until 2:00 a.m..

Matisyahu’s wife is named Tahlia; the couple has two sons.

Career

In 2004, Matisyahu, after having signed with JDub Records, a not-for-profit record label that promotes Jewish musicians, released his first album, SHAKE OFF THE DUST…ARISE. At Bonnaroo 2005, Trey Anastasio of the band Phish invited him a guest spot on his set. His live album, LIVE AT STUBB’S, released in 2005, was recorded at a concert in Austin, Texas was followed by the studio album YOUTH.

In 2005 and 2006 he toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe; and made a number of stops in Israel, including a performance as the supporting act for Sting in June 2006. In late 2006, he released NO PLACE TO BE, a remix album featuring re-recordings and remixes of songs from all three of his earlier albums, as well as a cover of “Message in a Bottle” by The Police. The live version of the song “King Without a Crown,” broke into the Modern Rock Top 10 in 2006. The accompanying video and album, YOUTH, produced by Bill Laswell, were released on March 7, 2006. On March 16, YOUTH was Billboard magazine’s number-one Digital Album. In 2006, he appeared once again at Bonnaroo, this time performing a solo set.

In spring 2006, right before the release of YOUTH, he cut ties with his managers at JDub Records. JDub managed his act, but was not his record label.

At the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival, the film ‘Unsettled’, in which Matisyahu appears, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature. While attending the festival, he performed in an impromptu concert at the Park City Film Music Festival in Park City, Utah. In the summer of 2007 he joined 311 on their Summer Unity Tour. He also performed in the 2008 documentary ‘Call + Response.’

His third studio album, LIGHT was released on August 25, 2009, along with the live EP LIVE AT TWIST & SHOUT.

Matisyahu’s song “One Day” was the Anthem for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

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