"The Day After Tomorrow," where the war ended: how the songs of the "My Name Is Masha" project became a bridge for Russians who left and remained
The musical project "My Name Is Masha" by artist and songwriter Masha Rodicheva has become an invisible connecting thread for hundreds of thousands of listeners. Having left Russia after the outbreak of full-scale war, she continues to write tracks that resonate instantly with both nomadic emigrants and those who remained within the country. Her songs explore loneliness, mental challenges, growing up outside the borders of one's homeland, and the eternal search for a new home.
Music as a way to cope with shared pain
Masha Rodicheva began her artistic career in Russia's regions, but after 2022, she was forced to leave the country. Initially, she settled in Tbilisi and recently moved to Paris. This shift in cities and countries has formed the basis of her work, transforming the project into a therapeutic manifesto for anyone who has found themselves uprooted.
"I have this thing with songs: I don't write a list of topics I want to sing about. Typically, I just write about what hurts, what's loud inside. And sometimes it's about love, sometimes about home, sometimes about war, sometimes about a breakup," Masha says. "Music helps you do a lot of the inner work, so you can feel something deeply and let it go faster."
The majority of the audience for the "My Name Is Masha" project is still physically located in Russia. For those who left, those who stayed, and those who, after long wanderings, finally decided to return, her work has become an invisible bridge between divided worlds.
From "dictaphones" to hope for a peaceful "Day After Tomorrow"
Among the project's key releases are the concept albums "Masha and Anton" and "Nowhere to Run," as well as the cozy acoustic release "Dictaphone," which reminds listeners of a summer trapped in a pocket. Indie fans are also familiar with Masha for her heartfelt hit singles "Sea, Take It Away," "Far, Far Away," and the iconic track "Doma."
Each composition is born from personal experiences and what hurts loudly within. That's how the track, and later the full-length album "The Day After Tomorrow," came to be.
One day, Masha caught herself thinking that if she tried to mentally leap past the frightening, uncertain "tomorrow," she could find herself in the safe "day after tomorrow." In that future, where there is definitely hope, the war has finally ended, and people have returned to their homes and can freely speak and sing what they truly think.
Listen to tracks from the "My Name Is Masha" project as part of the regular music series #notradio_NotMoscow.
