Singer-songwriter Matisyahu. Photo Credit: Juliana Ronderos

Matisyahu is a Grammy-nominated alternative, reggae, and rock singer-songwriter. He chatted about his new EP “Hold The Fire,” which will be released on February 2 via his own record label Fallen Sparks Records.

Song selection process

On the song selection approach for the new EP, he said, “I chose some of the songs that I felt like were important right now. The truth is that I recorded about 40 songs over a six-month period of time last year.”

“I really love all of the songs equally,” he said. “It was very hard to choose which ones made it. I tried to put songs together that were similar. The five songs on the EP have a similar vibe to them.”

“There are other songs that I recorded that are different types of flavors,” he admitted. “The theme of the record is the name of the EP, which is ‘Hold The Fire.’ The idea is about stamina and the continuation of inspiration. That’s the common running theme throughout the record.”

“The music is influenced perhaps more so by Afropop than any other style,” he added.

Favorite songs on the EP

Matisyahu listed “End of the World” and “Lifeline” as his two personal favorite songs on the EP.

Music and songwriting inspirations

Regarding his music and songwriting inspirations, he shared, “I’ve been doing music for a long time now, so it is a part of my life and my existence. It is something that is a part of what I do.”

“My main inspiration for writing and creating music is mainly hearing new music that inspires me,” he said.

“This career for me has been a continuous grind,” he admitted. “I have been playing hundreds of shows a year for over years… and that has been continuous.”

Brooklyn Steel show in March

On March 23, 2024, Matisyahu will be headlining Brooklyn Steel in New York. “I believe it’s on Purim, it will be a special show,” he acknowledged.

“Purim is a fun holiday for the Jewish people. It’s a holy but fun time. There is a lot of spiritual energy in the air. It’s going to be incredible because it’s the last show of the tour. By the time we get to Brooklyn, it will be pretty good,” he said.

Playing at Long Island venues

On performing at The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island, he said, “I love The Paramount, I’ve played there a few times, it is great. I love Long Island.”

“Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall is a nice place and a nice venue,” he added.

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, Matisyahu said, “It has changed a lot of things. For me, I started my career at the tail end of the old way of things right when things were changing.”

“One of the biggest influences is the idea of releasing music quite often. In the old days, you only had a limited amount of creativity, and you could only make an album every few years,” he said.

“Now, you can just make songs and you can just release them almost immediately. There is no real limit to the amount of creativity that we can put out there. I really like this idea because your fans are living with you constantly, so it is very exciting. I think it is a great time to be making music,” he explained.

“At the same time, we get vinyl back. It is so nice to put a vinyl album on, where you can listen to the whole story front to back,” he added.

AI on the future of the music business

“AI is a little bit weird,” he admitted. “The question is really all about how good it gets. Nobody wanted an electric car when they found out that they had to recharge it after a certain number of miles. It is only when the technology got really good that we started using these things.”

“To me, the AI right now is in its initial stages, but it is a little bit weird,” he said. “For some things, I feel that we need AI for… It would be cool if we had AI running the world and it would give you all the solutions to all of the world’s problems.”

“Imagine if you could plug in ‘world hunger’ and AI would tell you what you would need to do to solve it,” he said.

“Art though should be human, 100 percent,” he added.

Dream duet choice in music: Black Sherif

On his dream duet choices in music, Matisyahu revealed, “I would like to do a duet with an African artist called Black Sherif, he is my favorite artist right now. He is really cool and awesome.”

Advice for hopefuls in music

For young and aspiring artists, Matisyahu said, “Find your art that nobody else can do or copy. Just listen, try to find your inspiration, and move towards it.”

“Work on your discipline, craft, and don’t waste time with things that are a waste of time. Build your skills up and follow your inspiration. Don’t let anything sidetrack you. Stay focused on your mission,” he said.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “The End is Wedged in the Beginning.” “Returning to some very strong Jewish spirit that Matisyahu has always been a part of,” he expressed.

Favorite mottos to live by

When asked about his favorite mottos to live by, he shared, “Think good and it will be good. Also, I believe in being real with people.”

Matisyahu just visited Israel, where he performed a sold-out benefit show on January 17 in Tel Aviv, with the proceeds going to Bring Them Home Now. He also met with hostage families and visited the site of the Nova Music Festival.

This follows his surprise appearance at the March for Israel in Washington, DC, in November where he performed his gold-certified global anthem “One Day” with The Maccabeats, creating a standout moment for the hundreds of thousands who gathered and watched.

‘One Day’

“It is a very special song. It really struck a chord and it connected to a feeling and an idea that a lot of people share; it’s a good thing. The lyrics are as relevant now as ever.”

Honolulu coffee shop performance, moment going viral

A proud moment was when coffee shop performer Clint “Kekoa” Alama performed “One Day” in Maui, and Matisyahu happened to be there, and he heard his song being played live, and he joined in on harmonies.

Kekoa had no idea that he was in the presence of the song’s performer and writer. That moment was videotaped by spectators and Kekoa’s surprise reaction went viral.

“Wasn’t that cool,” Matisyahu exclaimed. “That was such a special moment, and it happened at a special time for me.”

“I was having a really hard time at that time so it’s amazing sometimes when you are having a bad day and then something incredible will just happen as long as you stay open to it,” he acknowledged.

Both Matisyahu and Kekoa subsequently performed the song together at Matisyahu’s concert at the Hollywood Palladium.

Success

Matisyahu defined the word success simply as “creative freedom.”

Fans

For his fans, he expressed, “Thank you for listening to my music, and I hope to meet you someday. I feel these are really good songs and they will make people feel good.”

“I love making songs and releasing them; the most you can hope for is for people to hear them. Once you release them, they become something else,” he concluded.

“Hold The Fire” is available for pre-order on digital service providers by clicking here.

To learn more about Matisyahu and his new music, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.