Matisyahu – HuffPost 5.20.14

Mike Ragogna: What advice do you have for new artists?

Matisyahu: For an artist who’s developing oneself and their voice or their artistry, the main thing is just spending time with their instrument, and expression, and living life without getting caught up on figuring out how to do it. I, at one point, was so focused on, “How will I make a profession? How can I do this? How can I get exposed?” I gave in and got focused on my life and my own spirituality and what it was that I wanted to share with the world, my own music and expression; and once I was ready to come out into the world, I felt like the world was ready to hear what I had to say. I think the main thing is to work from the inside out, as opposed to trying to work from the outside in. For an artist who’s already sort of established, I think it’s really the same thing. You have to stay inspired and alive. If you do that and trust your artistry, then you know that you’ll create what you need to create. The harder part is how to stay inspired and in that creative mode.

MR: Are you keeping aware of, or do you just let it be, your “evolution” in your spirituality as you’re moving through life?

M: Yes, and my music is the way in which I’m keeping track of my life, with the exception of Facebook and all the internet stuff. I can look back on my life and say, “Okay, I was here, I was there, this is when I looked like this, or believed that.” But mainly the music is the place in which I’m able to log what is it that inspires me and where I’m being influenced. So when I go back and listen to those records, I can see the evolution, and it is nice.

MR: Is there a point where you feel that artists will start relating more to the spirituality in their own music?

M: I think so. I definitely think there’s a movement now where a lot of people are writing songs that are important to them; there’s a lot of great music out there, and with the internet, it’s definitely easier to access all of them. That’s played a big role in my own inspiration, the access I have to new music that I never had before.