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Anyone who doubts that musical ability runs in families was clearly not at JTLV at 22 Allenby on Thursday night to experience a night billed as “Laivy Live in TLV.”
Laivy Miller, 19, the son of famed American-Jewish reggae/rapper Matisyahu, proved his mettle before some 40 or so audience members. He even brought out his younger brother, Duvbear, 18, for some songs.
Not everyone in the audience had a clue about the relationship. Daniel, a 30-something immigrant from Los Angeles and a regular at JTLV, which bills itself as “a community of like-minded young professionals (Israelis and English-speaking olim ages 20-45) seeking connections, personal growth, and spirituality,” admitted as such.
A meaningful performance
Before the show, Laivy told The Jerusalem Post that “this is a meaningful show for me – it was supposed to be on the Saturday night of the Iran attack – we agreed that, after such a hard time, people really need music, bringing together, and spreading life and love.”
When Laivy emerged onstage, he introduced his friend, Jeremy, who led the group in breath work activities, at times banging out a rhythm on his handpan instrument. Laivy then introduced “my boy, Duvbear,” clad in a white t-shirt, backward baseball cap, and extremely long peyot (sidelocks).
His songs sounded a lot like the spoken word/beat box tunes of his father.
Laivy then took to the stage himself, getting the crowd pumped by singing the now iconic anthem, “Od Yoter Tov.” After “Prayer,” Laivy introduced his 2024 song “Monsters” by noting, “On October 7, I was in yeshiva in Israel.”
He shared that out of respect for his nervous grandparents, he returned to the US, only to see Palestinian flags upon his return. “I decided I would never leave Israel again.”
His girlfriend, Yasmin Shimoni, joined him onstage for a duet, followed by his brother as part of his “Brothers of Redemption” band. The crowd joined in for a rendition of “Hashem Melech,” with Laivy inviting them to “make a holy show in a holy place.”
He then performed his 2023 song “Serenity,” before closing out the evening with his famous father’s best-known song, “One Day,” which seamlessly moved into the Bob Marley song, “No Woman, No Cry.”
Laivy’s musical career
Laivy sees his musical style as “folk-pop at its core, combining a bunch of genres, with every song telling a story about growth – whether it’s through love, self-discovery, or finding God.” He adds, “Sometimes I even lean into an Afro-pop vibe to bring in different rhythms and textures.”
Laivy told the Post that he is excited that his new song, “Restore Me,” has had 40,000 streams since its release three weeks ago” and that he is not sure exactly where the future will lead.
“I’m at the age I need to think about growing, taking it day to day, working with the challenges, and focusing on what makes me happy. I am in Israel to do my own thing – accomplishing my dreams,” he said.
As Laivy ventures out on his own and performs many of his father’s signature moves, there are obvious similarities between father and sons.
“I do think that me and my dad’s music is for sure connected because obviously he inspired me to start creating music. There’s definitely a thread connecting what I do to my dad’s music, especially in the storytelling and raw honesty, but our styles are different too; mine blends contemporary folk-pop with those global influences. We are each in our own lane.”