62 December 7 • 2017
jn
M
atisyahu wasn't always "Matisyahu."
Born Matthew Paul Miller, the Grammy-nominated
singer/songwriter who successfully fused a talent for beat-
boxing, reggae rhythm and passionate performances saw his career
take off in the early 2000s — during a phase of his life when he was
affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Six years ago, the
alternative-rock musician, 38, famously shaved his beard and stopped
wearing a yarmulke in public. His religious transformation, divorce
and struggle with addiction led to his well-received Akeda album.
Matisyahu's latest album, Undercurrents, is the first he's pro-
duced by himself. In this candid interview, the artist, who brings
his Broken Crowns Tour to St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit on Dec. 12,
opens up about his religious journey and shaving his iconic beard.
He also, for the first time, addresses the controversial concert at the
Maccabi Games this past summer, in which he pushed Jewish teens
off the stage during the show.
RABBI JASON MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
m u s i c
arts&life
Crowning
Glory
Matisyahu heads
back to Detroit, home
of his fi rst paying gig.
PHOTO
BY
NECHAMA
LEITNER
