They are called unique, original, unformatted and loved for their difference, naturalness and sincerity. The duet “#2Mashi” literally soared to the musical pinnacle with the song “Barefoot”, which short period received more than 50 thousand views. In the comments they were praised for their simplicity and heartfelt text. After resounding success Masha Zaitseva and Maria Sheikh continued to work together, released several videos and two albums. Their performances draw audiences, and their songs are played on radio stations. Their voices and appearance are not similar, but at the same time organically complement each other. Listeners have already fallen in love with their songs: the poignant “Now there are two of us”, the bright “Red White”, the sensual “Facts” and others.

Duet “#2Mashi”

And I throw words to the wind.

There is dew on my face, I come to you barefoot,

I'll run barefoot to the ends of the world for you!

Two Mashas say that they don’t need a producer. They resolve all creative and organizational issues among themselves, maintaining friendship and respect. Perhaps that is why they remain natural, without inflated views and purchased comments. It is difficult to attribute them to any specific genre, and this is the uniqueness of the duet “#2Masha”.

The beginning of a creative journey

Beauty in every moment.

In my eyes there is infinity of blue.

Here is reality, and there are photographs in the feed,

Memories warm days my summer.

Masha Zaitseva and Masha Sheikh met back in 2014 in Thailand and have been friends since then. At first there were no plans for joint creativity. But Maria Sheikh, who has been writing poetry since childhood, once jotted down the lyrics of the future song “Now there are two of us” on a beat sent by a friend. The girls joke that the “#2Mashi” project appeared in Zaitseva’s kitchen, where Sheikh showed an unborn song.

Masha Zaitseva, who has a beautiful melodic voice, offered to sing the chorus “Now there are two of us.” Internet users reacted with admiration to the new, unlike anything else track. The duo was supported and asked not to stop at one song.

The girls realized that their creative tandem could be successful. The name was also suggested by listeners. The video with the song was reposted with the hashtag #2mashi, and both Mashas liked the way it looked. This is how the duo got their name.

The girls inspire each other and try to solve even difficult administrative issues together. Maria Sheikh writes texts and organizes concerts, signing contracts, drawing up riders and schedules. Masha Zaitseva is responsible for music and publicity, interviews, social networks and track releases. But girls always help each other.

Masha Zaitseva

Let us become the creator of people similar to us.

You are an inspiration and a stimulus for my ideas.

Let your dreams come true -

That's why they are dreams.

My love is the whole world.

You will become my family.

For Masha Zaitseva, participation in the “#2Masha” project was not a revelation. Back in 2003, she took part in the project “ National artist” and amazed the judges with her vocals. Masha made it to the four finalists, where producer Evgeniy Fridlyand noticed her and invited her to the Assorted group. After leaving the group, in 2014 Masha Zaitseva tried herself in the “Voice” project on Channel One, where she also had success, but did not make it to the finals.

Masha is bright and creative person. She not only plays music, but also draws pictures, drives a car well, and is raising her daughter. While still at “People’s Artist,” she met the future winner of the project, Alexei Goman, and soon the young people began to live together. Their couple broke up, but kept great relationship, including because of his daughter Alexandrina.

The knots are tight.

I'll turn off the voltage.

Eyes untied.

Now I know what I want.

The other member of the duet cannot boast of much stage experience. However, creative biography Maria Sheikh's journey begins with childhood, when she, as a child, wrote beautiful poems and dreamed of having them read. Masha was born in Moscow on April 26, 1990, studied at regular school, then entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow State Pedagogical University.

But music was and remains her calling. In the duet, her role is to rap. Masha herself believes that she simply reads her poems, set to music and rhythm, without adapting to the Western style of performance.

She always knew what she wanted and is sure that her participation in the duet is what is needed, because each one does her own thing. Masha Zaitseva sings, Masha Sheikh reads. She admits that she sometimes challenges herself when it comes to creativity. This was the case with the release of the first album, when it was necessary to write lyrics for new songs in a very short time. And despite the fact that writing poetry - creative process, for Masha, inspiration had to be drawn from the most ordinary things. Perhaps that is why the public liked their songs so much.

Concerts and fans

Set your priorities.

The fruits will soon take root,

And we will see portraits of the future.

Similar thoughts will become more free.

If Masha Zaitseva was accustomed to attention, then Maria Sheikh was initially stunned by the reaction of listeners to the first songs. But the girl believes that the love of fans is best reward for any artist. Masha sees the secret of their success in the fact that they sing what seems natural to them, about their experiences and feelings. A duet is not a project created by someone, but a spiritual union of two talented people. And although they did not expect such success, they are open and honest with their fans. The members of the duet willingly share their thoughts and new songs in in social networks on official page, where every subscriber can ask the girls a question. Maria Sheikh has a personal page on Instagram, Facebook and VK.

Rumors and personal life

Love doesn't need religion

Love doesn't need words.

She is Great to me

But many people don’t have it.

Masha Sheikh has an unusual appearance and image in the duet. Masha is tall, she has character traits faces and sharp eyes, which sometimes raises many questions. If Masha Zaitseva is asked why she doesn’t post photos of her daughter, then Masha Sheikh more often hears questions about men, who, according to some subscribers, are too few in the girl’s life. More often than not, she lets negative comments pass her eyes and ears and doesn’t respond. But occasionally he goes to the profile of the person who left negative comment to understand it. However, the biography and personal life of Maria Sheikh is not a secret. She does not hide the fact that her heart is still free, and someday she definitely plans to find a family and become a mother. In the meantime, her motivation and incentive to move on is her love for music and the need to create. “#2Mashi” believe in their success.

In October 2015, a charity run “Save the life of a child” took place, organized by the Mother and Child Group of Companies and charitable foundation"Gift a life". The anthem of the race was the song “Birds” by the duet #2Masha. The #wamsport project met with Maria Zaitseva and Maria Sheikh to talk about sports, an active lifestyle, and how it relates to creativity.

#wamsport: What for you active image life?

M.Z.: These are constant goals that you set for yourself and strive to achieve them as quickly as possible.

M.Sh.: An active lifestyle for me is life itself. An active lifestyle is, of course, wonderful and, of course, it produces results. And yet sport should be present in the life of every person.

M.Z.: For me, sport and an active lifestyle are completely different concepts.

#wamsport: What place does sport occupy in your life?

M.Z.: Very important! I worry if I miss classes at the gym. But for such a case, I have dumbbells at home.

M.Sh.: I understand that not everyone has the opportunity to fully engage in sports and devote a lot of time to it due to a number of reasons. But I'm sure that if you want, you can. 15-30 minutes in the morning are real numbers for a busy person. It all depends on your desire. I don't always manage to go to the gym, which certainly upsets me. In such cases, I study at home, morning and evening for 15-30 minutes. To be honest, home workouts are not at all inferior to workouts in the gym. Now there are a lot of different programs for classes on the Internet. You just have to want it.

#wamsport: Do you follow any diets or any dietary rules? Do you think healthy eating is a fashion statement or a personal preference? How does this work for you?

M.Sh.: I’ve never been on a diet, I’ve never specifically tried to lose or gain weight. Frankly, there was even a period when I ate completely wrong, when I didn’t think about what I was eating. And then I was 8 kilograms more than now. I even stopped playing sports for a while, for which I scold myself. There was a period in my life when I was “out of place”: both in weight and in physical well-being.
Now I eat what my body requires, and I have no prejudices. I abstain from any meat except fish. And it’s not because of diets or anything else, I just don’t want meat at all. If suddenly such a desire appears, then, of course, I will not deny myself this.

M.Z.: Proper nutrition is a completely personal preference. It’s generally difficult for me to imagine how proper nutrition can be an attribute of fashion.

Sport - is life. And achievements in sports mean incredible energy, fortitude and will. There is a lot to learn!

#wamsport: Don’t you sometimes want to relax and allow yourself to have, so to speak, a belly festival?

M.Z.: Of course, I would like to! And I periodically arrange it and then scold myself for it. Moreover, it is much more difficult to get rid of the consequences of these holidays when you are not 20, but 30 years old...

#wamsport: What is included in your diet?

M.Z.: Mostly dairy products, vegetables, fruits, fish, and in the morning I try to eat oatmeal. I really like it with coconut milk, banana and nuts.

#wamsport: Give some advice on proper nutrition to our readers, how you can eat in Everyday life, given its rhythm?

M.Z.: First of all, you need to drink a lot of water. Exactly water! Regular, no additives. Train yourself to eat breakfast properly. Take a healthy snack with you and try to eat little during the day, rather than fasting until the evening and then pouncing on dinner.

M.Sh.: Regarding recommendations, I will not undertake to take on such responsibility and advise anything. I think this would be better done by professionals. Of course, I can say from myself that you need to listen to your body, you need to teach yourself to choose healthy food and don't fast.

#wamsport: The Women's Amateur League represents the majority of popular sports, where every girl, despite her athletic abilities, can realize herself. What sport would you choose for yourself?

M.Sh.: During my life I have studied different types sports, and all of them were easy for me.

M.Z.: It’s difficult to answer. The choice is great. But in school years I have been involved in competitive swimming for 5 years. I love water.

M.Sh.: Now I study for myself and for my own pleasure. This is enough for me for now. Football is one of my favorite sports. If there were more than 24 hours in a day, perhaps I would have time to play football.

#wamsport: Who is your role model in sports? The person who could or has already inspired you to achieve some results?

M.Z.: Still, I have more musical orientation was from birth, so it was the people on stage who could motivate me to do something. But I have always watched artistic gymnastics with great interest, so I would probably say the name of Alexei Nemov. And I, of course, remember that moment with the “honest” refereeing. This is the most big victory, when like this... The result of the competition was changed by the support of the fans. Spectators are most often the biggest indicator of your success and professionalism.

M.Sh.: There are a lot of big and prominent names. The list will be endless! And all these people certainly inspire and should inspire people around. Sport - is life. And achievements in sports mean incredible energy, fortitude and will. There is a lot to learn!

#wamsport: One of your songs became the anthem of a charity race. Would you like to write a song specifically about sports and its role in human life?

M.Sh.: Yes, indeed our song “Birds” was the anthem of the charity race. Regarding the song about sports, we have been nurturing this idea for a very long time, and we will definitely make such a track.

M.Z.: Yes! Necessarily.

#wamsport: Thanks for the interview! And we are waiting for you at our training sessions!

Duo #2Masha is called one of the brightest and most original groups that has ever existed in the space of Russian pop music. The combination of beautiful deep lyrics, soulful vocals and daring female hip-hop does not leave indifferent among the listeners of the most different ages and musical preferences.

History of creation

The duet #2Masha, which so violently shook up the established space of Russian pop music, was created in 2016. Its participants, Masha Sheikh and Masha Zaitseva, knew each other in absentia, but met in Thailand while vacationing on the island of Phangan in 2014.

The two Marias returned from vacation as friends. At the end of 2015, Maria Sheikh wrote a text that she showed to Maria Zaitseva, and she set it to music. The next day the girls went to the studio and recorded the song “Now there are two of us.”

2Mashi - Now there are two of us

The song, posted on a social network, gained incredible popularity and became the beginning of their joint work. The sincere reaction of people, fascinated by the originality of the girls, their music, built on the contrast of vocal abilities, prompted Zaitseva and Sheikh to create a group. They hardly thought about the name of the girls - their parents gave both the name Maria, and the first listeners from social networks, posting their song “Now there are two of us,” added the number 2 and a hashtag to the name Masha. Both Marias liked the way “#2Masha” looked on the letter, and their union acquired its final name.

Before the start of cooperation, both girls were successfully involved in music. Masha Zaitseva is a Muscovite, born on January 11, 1983, graduated from the Academy of Justice. In 2003, the girl took part in the “People’s Artist” project, after which she began performing as part of the groups “Assorted” and “N.A.O.M.I.” In 2013, Zaitseva participated in the third season of the show “The Voice,” but did not become a finalist.

Masha Sheikh is also a Muscovite, she was born on April 26, 1990. Like Zaitseva, Sheikh graduated from a law school. The girl was fond of hip-hop culture and gained some fame as a rap artist. In the duet, Masha Sheikh is responsible for writing lyrics and also serves as the director of the team.

Interview of group #2Masha

Zaitseva writes music, arranges compositions and does public relations. There are no other members in the group; to record their compositions, the girls rent studios and hire session musicians. The girls refuse the services of production centers.

Main stages

At the beginning of 2016, the newly formed duo had several songs in their arsenal that were extremely popular on the Internet. A few months later, the girls managed to get a performance at the 16 Ton club. Contrary to our wildest expectations, all tickets to the concert were sold out, and the audience sang along to their favorite songs. In May of the same year, Zaitseva and Sheikh presented their first album. The album “Now there are two of us” includes 10 compositions that took ranking positions in the Russian iTunes sector.

In November 2016, the duo gave big concert in the capital's RED club, during which representatives of the Iris Delicia company brought out a huge cake decorated with photographs of the girls. Sasha Savelyeva, Alexander Panayotov, Teona Dolnikova, Alexey Goman came to rejoice at the success of the young performers and support them - ex-husband Masha Zaitseva, as well as Svetlana Svetikova, Zara and other Russian pop stars.

2Mashi – Barefoot

The duo's next album appeared in 2017, and while some critics called the success of the first album accidental, this one confirmed the unconditional uniqueness of the project. The pretentious title “Now there are many of us” was justified literary texts, soulful performances and luxurious arrangements based on the combination of the performers’ voices. This is also a tribute to the numerous fans of the duet, whom the performers consider almost a second family.

The compositions “Barefoot”, “Stars” and “Bitches” found a special response in the hearts female audience due to its sincerity and emotional depth. The success of the song “Bitches,” which stayed at the top of various charts throughout 2017, was quite predictable, especially after the release of the video, authored by Irina Mironova, a fashionable and, by the way, very expensive video director.

2Masha - Bitches

Fans of the duo are attracted by their unusual combination of vocal abilities and different styles, in which the girls work, and their external dissimilarity. The athletic blonde Sheikh sets off the soft and feminine Zaitseva, who looks like Hollywood diva Sean Young.

In October 2018, the artists received their first music award"Golden Gargoyle", in connection with which they received great amount congratulations from your fans.

Scandals

Album covers and provocative photographs that the girls post on their pages on social networks, coupled with Maria Sheikh’s androgynous appearance, have given rise to rumors that the artists are connected by something more than joint creativity. On her Instagram, Sheikh sharply responded to a question about their love affair, advising the curious to take care of their personal lives and get rid of unhealthy fantasies. Maria Zaitseva behaves differently - she ignores tricky questions. According to her, her daughter and creativity are the main things in her life. Most Ukrainian fans were no less upset than the artists themselves; they wrote angry remarks on the VKontakte group page, expressing their attitude towards the incident. However, there were also those who did not like the apolitical nature of the duo.

Discography

• “Now there are two of us” (2016)
• “Now there are many of us” (2017)

#2Mashi now

In 2018, the duet #2Mashi presented the song “Mom, I’m dancing,” which the girls called an anthem to freedom, as well as a video clip for it, filmed in best traditions paintings by Emir Kusturica. The atmospheric video was filmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2Mashi - Mom, I’m dancing

The girls successfully tour: in 2108 they visited Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk, Samara, Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don, as well as others major cities Russia.

Two Mashas or TuMashas or, as they call themselves, 2Mashas, ​​met just two years ago. It was then that their duet was born. But today they are almost not perceived separately. About how I was born creative union, Masha Zaitseva and Masha Sheikh tell. They talk excitedly, interrupting each other, which is why the originally conceived monologue turns into a wild, but such a cute confusion, which the correspondent of the website portal tried to record for history.

Tell us how your creative journey began?

2Mashi: From the writing and creation of the song “Now there are two of us,” which gave rise to the whole process.

How long have you known each other?

2Mashi: Two years. But the feeling is much more (smile)

When and under what circumstances was the idea of ​​organizing a duet born?

2Mashi: We decided to record the song “Now there are two of us”, it was a kind of experiment. People’s reaction did not take long, which, of course, was very pleasant and prompted new ideas, including, one of the first ideas, to make a project (duet) and not stop at one song.

Most recently, the premiere of the video for your song “Now there are two of us” took place. Judging by the locations, the filming location is Moscow, its streets, bridges, roofs. Apparently you love our capital. Tell us, how does a large, dynamic city influence your creativity and worldview?

Masha Zaitseva: I was born in Moscow and love this city with all my heart. I love this constant movement. It pushes me to permanent job and gives a kind of kick (smiles). IN in a good way this word. Well, and, of course, I really love old Moscow. I love to walk along it, write and think))

Whose roles are you playing in this video, dressed so interestingly in black robes?

2Mashi: We and the rest of the participants in the video, people in black robes, are angels. The idea for these very robes was taken from the movie “City of Angels”. We all have the same role, to help people make peace, to try to make it clear that there is no need to wait for something, we need to do it. Do it in the name of love. It is so important that in our real world, people appreciated and loved every day given to us from above.

How well do you two beautiful Marias get along with each other as a duet? Is it easy to find mutual language, combine ideas? Are your personalities similar?

2Mashi: We get along just great. All our songs and ideas are born in one breath, which we quickly pick up together and give them the opportunity to develop further and further. But, despite our excellent mutual understanding, we have absolutely different tempers. Apparently, this is why we manage to find a middle ground.

What episode of yours musical career is your highlight to date?

Masha Zaitseva: Perhaps the most recent one comes to mind. And this is participation in the “Voice” project. Even though I had been singing on stage for 12 years before “The Voice”, this did not help me not to experience crazy excitement and jitters. I think the brightest moment is definitely the blind auditions. This is some kind of magic that is difficult to describe in words. This can only be felt by observing in front of you those same 4 rotated chairs that you must turn towards you.

Masha Sheikh: And I will give all the brightness to the creation of our project, the filming of our first video and the sleepless nights when you write, delete, write again. And you know that there are more and more people who like it. Therefore, it is no longer possible to stop.

Tell us about your hobbies, hobbies, and interests to which you devote your time with the greatest pleasure. free time(besides music).

Masha Zaitseva: I love coockie so much! From time to time I share my recipes on my website (mariazaitseva.com) and on social networks. My friend and I also opened a small cafe on Arbat, and there you can taste the most natural and delicious desserts. Our signature dessert is called Teacupcake by zaitsevaanddubakina.

Masha Sheikh: I like sport. Since childhood, I have done everything I could. When my parents sent me to ballroom dancing, and I wanted to play football, our arguments lasted 6 years. I kept dancing, but I really wanted to kick the ball. Dreams come true, and after 6 years mine took over. Now, if I have free time, I choose Gym. If you want to look good, not for someone else, but first of all for yourself, then you definitely need to have a workout routine and, of course, not be lazy, and to be honest, this happens.

How do you see your creative future in 5 and 10 years?

2Mashi: The most important thing is that we see our creative future both in 5 and 10 years. We will not disclose all plans. We think that it is important to go towards your goals, achieve results and, as you achieve them, talk about them.

What do you think young artists need to have in order to really achieve something in today’s world? musical world?

2Mashi: You need to be real, you need to be a kind and pure person at heart. This should be so not only in the musical world, but in the world in general.

Margarita Currents, specially for MUSECUBE

Maria Zaitseva – Russian performer, who became known to Russian listeners after participating in “People’s Artist”, where she entered the top four. This became the starting point in the development creative career Masha.

Childhood and family of Maria Zaitseva

Masha’s hometown is Moscow. Being musical child With early childhood, she, having taken only a few piano lessons, was engaged in musical self-education. Soon after studying musical literacy, the girl began to write her own songs, composing music for them. The performer of these works, naturally, was also Masha.

The girl was interested, in addition to music, in drawing, and attended swimming classes. Despite the fact that Masha drew excellently, her main hobby still remained music.

Zaitseva studied at English school. After graduating from the last two classes as an external student, the talented girl became a student at the Academy of Justice. In 2004, Maria received a law degree.

The beginning of a career, Maria Zaitseva’s first songs and television projects

In 2003, the future singer, wanting to prove herself and show her vocal capabilities, became a participant in the People's Artist program. Having auditioned, she easily passed the qualifying competition. Further, as Zaitseva says, completely unexpectedly for herself, she moved forward without difficulty round after round, eventually ending up in the top four.

Zaitseva did not win “People’s Artist,” but getting into the top four made some producers pay attention to the performer’s potential. During the TV project, Maria learned to hold herself on stage and strengthened her voice.

One of the producers who paid attention to Zaitseva was Evgeny Fridlyand. He decided to recruit a group of girls who reached the finals music project. Naturally, Maria was also invited. This is how the “Assorted” group appeared, which was able to short term win the attention of Russian listeners. The merit of the popularity that quickly came to “Assorted” lies in the live performance of the compositions, the well-chosen repertoire, the external characteristics of the performers, and the uniqueness of their voices.

In 2011, members of the Assorti group began singing in the N.A.O.M.I. group. As part of this group, Zaitseva went to Jurmala, where she became a participant in the “New Wave” competition.

Maria Zaitseva on the show “The Voice”

In 2013, the talented performer decided to take part in the increasingly popular show “The Voice”. Unfortunately, in 2013 she never made it to the “blind” auditions, as there were too many applicants. In order for everyone to have the opportunity to participate in “The Voice,” performers who did not make it to the “blind” auditions in 2013 were invited to try their hand at it in 2014.

So Maria was among the participants. At the first audition in front of the mentor judges, the singer performed the song “Why,” which is part of the Annie Lennox repertoire. As a result, all the male mentors turned their chairs towards Mary. The singer was able to charge the entire auditorium with her performance.

It is known that Zaitseva by that time was well acquainted with both Pelageya and Leonid Agutin. However, they did not recognize her from her vocals. According to Pelageya, for Maria, participation in “The Voice” will be a great start for solo career. Of the three male mentors, the contestant chose Leonid Agutin.

This was followed by the stage of “fights”, in which Masha performed with the Shakhtarin sisters. In their performance, the judges heard the Diva’s composition “Three happy day" They all noted that the Shakhtarins lacked soulfulness and emotionality; there was no sense of development in the duet. Thus, Zaitseva remained in the show after the “fights” stage. The last stage of the show for Maria was the “knockouts” stage. Only strong participants demonstrated their vocal abilities there, so the choice for mentors, including Leonid Agutin, was not at all easy. As a result, Zaitseva left the show. The girl was supported by members of the group “N.A.O.M.I.”

Personal life of Maria Zaitseva

While participating in the People's Artist program, Masha met Alexei Goman. It is known that he became the winner of this television project. The young people began dating. They lived together for about six years, after which they got married. The wedding was quite quiet and modest, it was organized spontaneously, in company with friends, but this is exactly the kind of wedding Maria and Alexey wanted. This event took place in 2009. Three years passed, and a daughter was born into the family. The girl was named Alexandrina.

Drawing remains one of Maria’s hobbies to this day. She draws for the soul. Her tools are charcoal or watercolor. The singer’s second serious hobby is driving. Long time she drove along the capital's roads in a Niva. In the same car, Zaitseva took part in auto racing from Moscow to Koktebel. Not so long ago, Niva was replaced by more modern car– BMW. According to Masha, she still remembers her Niva with warmth.

Until the age of fifteen, Zaitseva’s idol was Madonna; later she became interested in such performers as George Michael, Kelly Price, Ray Charles and others.