'One Day' at a time: Matisyahu finds a new spark with 'Hold the Fire,' stops at Meow Wolf

Matisyahu is on a journey of discovery.

It’s the only way he knows how to live.

The musician returned to the United States from performing a benefit show in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Jan. 17, where the proceeds went 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, D.C., 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' at a time: Matisyahu finds a new spark with 'Hold the Fire,' stops at Meow Wolf

“It’s been an amazing journey for me,” Matisyahu says. “Being involved in the causes has been very powerful and intense. I feel like it gave me a sense of purpose.”

Matisyahu will bring his current tour to Meow Wolf on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

He is on tour in support of “Hold the Fire,” which was released on Feb. 2.

He says the inspiration behind the album is rooted in his Old Testament religion, which has meant so much to his spiritual and creative life since his recording career began in 2004 and his breakout track “King Without a Crown” blasted onto the Billboard charts in 2005.

“(In the Torah), God speaks to Moshe at first through a bush on fire that doesn’t consume itself. It became a metaphor for me as an artist and as a Jew,” Matishyahu says. “In my dream, I was being burned by fire from a tiger’s eyes, but when I looked down at my hand, it was made of water. This aspect of balancing humility with the inner fire is what allows for the continuation of a people.”

Over the course of his 20-year career, Matisyahu has been through many ups and downs, but always looked for inspiration in his daily life.

He’s always looking for music that inspires him.

“I need the inspiration to move forward,” he says. “It’s interesting to see all the things that I’ve done. When I wrote ‘King Without a Crown,’ it was free association because I didn’t want to lock into anything specific. With other albums, like ‘Light,’ everything was plotted out. Through it all, every song represents different aspects.”

Working on “Hold the Fire,” Matisyahu wanted to capture another moment of growth.

“Working on the next group of songs, I collaborated with others,” he says. “Sometimes having three or five people in the room, it becomes really cool. I want to release something new every few months. Just feeding the world with new music. I don’t plan to stop recording. There’s a time for writing, recording, touring and it all seems to be meshed together.”

Taking the stage each night to perform, Matisyahu’s presence is still as enormous as when he began.

“I started off performing open mics,” he says. “I’ve toured for years. I decided to fall back in love with music and I was changing up the band and having a combination of players who all improvise. That gives me a rush. We’ve listened to old songs and figured out a way to incorporate them into the set. Being off the road during COVID really gave me a fresh start. I get to be a bigger voice for everything happening in Israel and antisemitism. I feel like I have to be on stage.”