Matisyahu why did he shave

When I was in my early 20s, I became interested in Jewish identity and history. I went to Israel and had a strong feeling about being Jewish. I started to think about how to incorporate my spiritual search into reggae music. And I decided to make the leap to express myself as a Jew.

I started to wear a yarmulke, grew a beard and changed my clothes. It was very much like the blending of the old mystical tradition and spirituality with who I am in America as a year-old musician. I figured that I was going to submit myself to it. And I accepted it. It became a part of my worldview. At the same time, I was traveling a lot, meeting different Hasidim, and I really got a good understanding of what it means to be Jewish.

But at some point I felt locked into that vision of the world. I needed to go back to my choices and make decisions about my life. I still believe there is a lot of truth in Orthodox Judaism, but not the whole truth. Each person has his truth that he has to discover.

When I had my beard and my suit, that was very true for me. But I did feel that it no longer was representing who I was. Were you affected by some of the negative reactions among your fans after you changed your look? Some Orthodox Jews felt that I betrayed them. Then, separate from religion, there is the image issue. Some artists are bound to an image: Bob Marley has dreadlocks, Matisyahu has a beard. Born Matthew Paul Miller, the year-old rapper and former acid-dropping Phish-head who found religion at age 19 released his debut album, Shake Off the Dust Arise in He followed up with the 's Youth and 's Light , interspersed with three live albums along the way.

His live shows have long mixed the thudding bass-heavy sound of dub reggae with rapping as well as touches of punk. In the note he promised that the next year will be filled with "music of rebirth. Some fans were clearly confused by the move, asking the singer why he would make such a radical turn.

The musician looks so different lately, in fact, that he had a hard time getting into premieres and parties this past weekend at the Sundance Film Festival. Here's what the year-old "One Day" singer looked like in with his signature Hasidic look:. Last December, Matisyahu, whose real name is Matthew Paul Miller, shaved off his beard, explaining on Twitter : "Sorry folks, all you get is me, no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process.

It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality — not through books but through real life. Since then, the singer has shed some weight, traded his wire-rimmed glasses for contacts and gotten a major haircut. Today, Matisyahu is back in the spotlight with a new clean-shaven look:.