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Matthew Miller, better known by his Hebrew name Matisyahu, burst onto the musical scene in 2005 with his energetic and unique live reggae album, “Live at Stubb’s.” His 2006 record “Youth” brought him national acclaim for his fresh style that mixed traditional reggae, elements of hip-hop and lyrics inspired by his Jewish faith. 

He has since released two more studio albums, each of which peaked at number one in the U.S. Billboard reggae charts, including his most recent album “Spark Seeker,” which came out earlier this year. 

Matisyahu, whose name means “Gift of God” in Hebrew, is currently on an expansive U.S. college tour and will be stopping in Burlington at Higher Ground on Nov. 5. The Vermont Cynic caught up with Matisyahu to find out his favorite place to play, what it’s like to have his own label and what the city of Burlington means for him.

Hip-hop is a big part of your music. What are some of the rappers that got you into the genre?  

The rap record that really got me into the genre was a Nas album, “It Was Written.” And then I started listening to a lot of Native Tongues, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Then I got into Blackstar, The Roots and sort of the more underground artists at the time. That was really my gateway into that music.

You’ve had shows at places all across the U.S. What is your favorite venue or city to play at? As a local, I have to ask: how does Burlington compare?

I don’t really have a favorite place to play, but Burlington is one of my favorite places. I spent some time in Burlington when I was a teenager. When I was 17 I left home and moved to Burlington; I used to sleep in a park there. So it’s always really cool to come back there because it was a really influential moment in my life. 

Every time I come to Burlington I get a very nostalgic feeling. Not so much in the club, but when I walk around downtown and look around, I get some intense feelings. Out of the hundred or some odd number of cities I go to, I definitely look forward to going to Burlington. It is a special place for me.

How did your time in Burlington shape or influence your musical journey?

The truth is, when I came to Vermont, I was there because I wanted to follow music. At that point it was the only thing that I knew that I wanted to do or be around. While I was in Burlington, I heard somebody singing one time and I felt that I had that same kind of capability to sing in that fashion and have my voice touch people. I was on Winooski Street, and I heard a local singing a song from King David. 

It really blew me away; I had never heard anything like that before. I had heard the song, but I had never heard anyone sing it like that. And sometimes when I’m on stage I pray, and I still sing this song based off of that one time in Burlington when I heard this man sing so beautifully. So that was a very powerful moment for me.

You are now putting out music on your own label called Fallen Sparks Records; how has this changed both your life and your music?

Well, if you are on a major label and you are a priority on their label, then that is a great thing. It used to be that there were 50 or 100 artists on each label, but things are a little bit different now that they don’t really sell CDs as much. 

As far as putting it out on your own, it’s basically your money that you’re spending to promote the record and to make the record. It’s a good feeling because it’s yours at the end of the day. It is a very empowering feeling afterward because you have control, but at the same time you don’t have the label to fall back on or a marketing machine behind it.

You said one of your biggest musical influences as you were growing up was the Vermont jam-band Phish, and you later got to play music with them at one of their concerts. What was it like to be on the same stage as one of your biggest inspirations?

It was really amazing. What happened was at Bonnaroo 2005 – I was just coming out and I had a buzz going. People knew who I was and Trey Anastasio [the lead singer] knew my story a little bit. Trey offered to meet me on a Saturday night and I asked him if I could sing with them, and at first he said no, because he had somebody else from American Idol performing with him. 

Then later on he asked my manager to come find me. He brought me to Trey, who was in his room listening to my record with his band, and they were rehearsing the songs, my songs. He also asked me to do a Bob Marley song, so we ended up doing two songs that day, which was incredible.