Even pop culture superstars need to go to the dentist. As he speaks with a reporter by cell phone from Toronto, midway through a tour that culminates in eight nights of performance in New York City beginning Saturday night, Matisyahu is looking for the street on which his wife’s uncle’s dentist office is located.
“We go to see him every time we’re in Toronto,” the highly successful chasidic singer-rapper-songwriter says, before turning to his wife for further directions. “My family goes with me on tour for the most part, which is pretty cool. We’re traveling together right now in this RV.”
It’s been about nine years since Matisyahu (born Matthew Paul Miller) began his musical career. He’s been married four years and has sons aged 3 and 2, so his life would have changed a lot anyway. But his growth and learning process has frequently been played out in public, from his sudden departure from JDub Records for mega-label Sony, to his recent break with Chabad.
Is he a natural magnet for controversy?