Matisyahu, the American singer born Matthew Miller, has grown to be a major figure in the world of reggae, beloved by fans for mixing musical genres into a soulful, grooving blend of hip-hop, reggae and rock.

He’s one of the headliners at this weekend’s Mayjah Rayjah Music Festival, holding down the second day of the event on Saturday.

Matisyahu became a fixture on the music scene in 2005 with the rock-heavy “King Without a Crown,” which rose to No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the first years of his musical career, he stood out as a practicing Hasidic Jew, with immediately identifiable beard and long locks. His next album, “Youth,” featured the politically charged single “Jerusalem.”

The anti-violence anthem “One Day” became the unofficial song of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and remains the biggest hit of his career.

In 2011 the musician sparked controversy when he decided to shave his signature beard, a symbol of his faith, explaining to his fans that he felt compelled to follow a more independent path.

He followed 2012’s culturally rich acoustic EP “Spark Seeker” with the release of his fifth full-length studio album, “Akeda,” in 2014, which proved to be equal parts spiritually healing and revealing.

This year he has toured heavily in Europe and North America.

In a phone interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser last week, the father of four spoke candidly about his family, the roots of his musical inspiration and why he no longer chases fame.

Star-Advertiser: I heard that you never have a set list. What’s the secret to keeping your live shows fresh and authentic?

Matisyahu: Basically, I change the music up. I constantly reshape, re-shift the material. There’s a lot of improvisation during the set. I try to catch a vibe. I don’t worry about the form of a song and how it was played years ago; I just try to go with the music rather than regurgitate songs over and over again.

SA: One of the messages of your tour is to “promote coexistence.” What does that mean exactly?

Matisyahu: It’s the idea that not everyone has the same views as you. You don’t want to be too caught up in your beliefs. You never want to cross that line where your set of beliefs or your perspective, or your way of seeing the world, is the only way. If you cross that line, you put yourself and others in danger. That’s not the only truth; you got to make room for other people as well.

SA: Your three sons have been on the road with you a lot this summer. How do you balance tour life and family life?

Matisyahu: It’s awesome. I try to get my kids out with me as much as I can. It’s good for them because they are at that age; they are starting to become men. I think it’s good for them to be around men, you know what I mean? The guys in the band teach them to play instruments. They get a feel of the whole tour, and I get to spend time with them. It’s an interesting life experience for them.

SA: Did you expect the song “One Day” to resonate with so many people and become such a big hit?

Matisyahu: I wanted to write my “No Woman No Cry,” my anthem, because I knew I had a knack for writing anthemic songs. I wanted to get to that pop-accessible reggae tune that would connect with the masses; that’s what we accomplished with that song. The co-writer was Bruno Mars. We wrote that song together. Bruno Mars was writing songs and producing tracks before he got a record deal.

SA: Talk about the personal demons you have had to overcome.

Matisyahu: I still struggle. … I’m 37 years old, and every day I get up and want to get high, but I don’t. Right now I go to meetings. I try to stay sober and focused. I try to not escape the world I live in. I do a lot of meditation and prayer. I make songs that are important to me and stay away from everything else. It’s a constant daily struggle for me to stay on the right path.

SA: Was there ever a point in your career that distractions, whether business or personal, affected your focus on the music?

Matisyahu: It’s complicated when you are trying to create art and create business. There was a tendency for me to want to please everyone, to make new fans, to make more money and to get more people at the shows; then the music started to suffer. I got past that. I came to a place of faith and became more appreciative of what I have. If people are going to respond to the music, let them respond to it for real, not because I came up with some kind of plan to try and get people to buy (it). Let them be the fans for real. Those are the fans that are going to be around forever. The other people come and go. It all comes down to the music you make, the songs that you write and what you try to create onstage.

SA: Is it safe to say that you no longer chase success?

Matisyahu: I’m the type of person that always wants more. I really came to a place where it’s like, let me just do what I do! If I get more success, then great, but I can’t be chasing it anymore. I’m doing the work, it’s just that I am not looking for the big payoff anymore.

SA: What’s next from you on the music front?

Matisyahu: “Dodging Bullets” is a song I did with Kosher Dillz, a rapper from New Jersey. It’s a cool track that’s out now. I have another track, called “Storm Tossed,” that I did with Mihali. He’s from this band called Twiddle, a Vermont jam band. I’m going to start writing and recording in the fall. I will be releasing a record early next year. The newer songs that I’m making right now are throwback reggae tunes with a jam-rock kind of vibe — real tough, rootsy reggae tunes.

SA: If you could travel back in time 15 years and have a conversation with your younger self, what advice would you give?

Matisyahu: I would tell myself to be more confident. There’s a lot of (people) out there that are pretending to be artists. I would say, “You aren’t one of those people; you’re the real deal. There are not a lot of you out there. Don’t second-guess yourself. You are it. You don’t need to try to be anything else. You don’t need to try to cover it up or be afraid of it.”

SA: At this stage, can you describe your level of contentment with your music career and life in general?

Matisyahu: I am thankful I get to do music. I am thankful of the great musicians I get to play and work with. I got people around me that I love and that love me. I am happy. I get to see the world. It’s clear on what’s important, in terms of the integrity of the music.