Matisyahu first became a household name with 2006’s “Youth” album. A follow-up to his acclaimed “Live At Stubb’s” live release, “Youth” featured the single “King Without A Crown” and was certified gold—over 500,000 copies shipped in the U.S.—within a month of release.
Plenty more success would follow for Matisyahu with future albums, as “One Day” – an unofficial author for the 2010 Olympics – from 2009’s” Light” helped yield another gold-selling album for the New York native. Meanwhile, Matisyahu remains an in-demand collaborator for musicians of all sorts of genres, having successfully worked with the likes of The Crystal Method, The Dirty Heads, Cisco Adler, Adel Tawil and Nosson Zand.
Things remain busy as ever for Matisyahu in 2019. His annual Festival Of Light returns to New York’s Brooklyn Steel on December 29th, also featuring performances by Bedouin Soundclash and Your Old Droog. An annual tradition during or around Hanukkah since 2006, the Festival Of Light has featured the likes of Tim Reynolds, GriZ, Blues Traveler and Soul Rebels over the years.
On Dec. 16 I had the pleasure of speaking with Matisyahu about his on-going Festival Of Light series, future recording plans, life outside of music, his love of hockey and more. Initial audio difficulties and all, the full recording of our phone interview is embedded below.
