Matisyahu thinks “stamina” is key to achieving longevity in music.
The 44-year-old reggae singer has been active in showbusiness for over 20 years but explained that his new EP ‘Hold the Fire’ was inspired by finding the “balance between fire and water” and having the impetus to keep going.
He told People: “It’s an album all about stamina. It’s about how to continue to be an artist as you get older, and to not let your flame go out or not be consumed by your fire. It’s about the balance between fire and water and how to keep it going. There are a lot of superstars out there that had very impactful and intense lives, but they did not have stamina or ability to just continue.”
The ‘King Without a Crown’ hitmaker – who has Laivy, 18, Shalom, 17, and 12-year-old Menachem with ex-wife Tahlia Silverman as well as nine-year-old Sasha with former girlfriend Toma Danley – added that each of his seven albums have different meanings to him as they each represent certain milestones in his life.
He said: “The albums all tell a different chapter of a story. I can associate different houses with different times in my life. And a lot of my kids were home births, so different houses were different births to my children as well.”
But despite having owned several homes over the years, these days, Matisyahu – whose real name is Matthew Paul Miller – has found that it can be “very special” to not own anything.
He added: “There is something very special about not owning anything. It’s very much back to my Hasidic roots in a certain way of just not being too tied up with anything being yours. Our time here is not permanent.”
‘Hold the Fire’ is due for release on February 2.