“For me, religion and music are tied together,” Matisyahu tells me from the back of a cab on the way home from tour to see his family for the first time in two and a half months.

It seems an awkward time to be having a conversation about spiritual exploration through music, with his thoughts no doubt on his wife and kids, so I am grateful for the ease of his conversation.

“I think that initially there was the shock value of this religious guy making music that is not usually seen as religious,” he tells me. “But I think with this last record Light, a lot of people in the press and in general have come to get past that and shifted their focus onto the music. For me it’s never been about shock value. There’s no contrast between music and religion, it’s all one thing.

“The people that I learn from and the teachers and artists I’ve always looked up to – like Bob Marley, for example – were strong in their faith, their religion and their heritage. It was what informed their music, but it hadn’t been seen from a Jew before. It’s not about preaching or ideology, but about informed spirituality from history. I think that people outside my fans are starting to really get that.”

Musically, Light appeared to be a more mature offering from Matisyahu after his breakout debut Youth. The follow-up explores with an honest conviction his Jewish roots and the place of the individual in society. Its slower pace seems to only lend itself to his vocals which complimented his more familiar, upbeat offerings.

“I feel really good about the Light album,” Matis reflects as the cabbie starts to interrupt from the front. “I feel I really put my all into this record as an artist and as a vocalist. You don’t come into this as an expert, you grow and I feel that Light was an evolution for me.

“Still, in terms of creating songs and music, touring and performing live, there’s an unbelievable power and opportunity to create a spiritual atmosphere through music and I feel that I’m just at the infantile stages of this process. When I do my show and I see fans singing along, that’s the ultimate; to see people really tapping into the songs and finding inspiration.”

On what will now be his fourth time to Australia, Matis has lined up a long awaited extended tour taking in much of the east coast, with a showcase performance at the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival set to provide a rare culmination of musical endeavour to the beautiful Byron Bay backdrop.

Considering its eclecticism, the Australian music scene is considerably light on religiously-motivated artists doing mainstream tours, a fact not lost in our conversation on the reaction of audiences to at a Matisyahu live show.

“Every culture is different. For example, when we come to Australia there is a big Jewish community in Melbourne so there’s going to be a lot of young Jews coming to the shows. But when we go to Portugal and we draw 4000 to 5000 people, I don’t know if any of them at all are Jewish. No matter where we go the reaction is global. The music is not about one people, one race or one religion; it’s about humanity. It’s about spirituality which is a huge thing.”

As the depth of his spiritual connection to music became more apparent and time with his family more imminent, I started to wonder where exactly the balance of these equally important influences in his life might lie.

“I think for everyone life can be overwhelming,” he concedes. “I don’t really see myself with a more overwhelming life than other people. Everyone has different challenges; different elements to their life that can be overwhelming. I really feel blessed that I can make a living from music and by being creative. I also have an amazing wife and kids, and I have my heritage and my spirituality. It can get overwhelming, but it’s really a blessing.”

Matisyahu brings the Light down under in March/April for Bluesfest and sideshows.

Wednesday 31 March – UNSW, Roundhouse Sydney
Thursday 1 April – Palace Theatre, Melbourne
Thurs 1 to Monday 5 April – East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Byron Bay