MASHA ISLAM The girl with the gifted voice
Masha Islam, a 23-year-old talented signer has over 194k subscribers on YouTube and is famous for covering songs of different languages
Bangladesh is witnessing the rise of a large number of content creators, specifically since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Following suit, a young and talented girl, who is trained in Nazrul Geeti, jumped on the bandwagon. And soon enough, she became an internet sensation - thanks to her versatile and melodious voice.
She is Masha Islam, a 23-year-old girl who has over 194k subscribers on YouTube and is famous for covering songs of different languages.
From a very young age, Masha has been working as a voice artist for different international projects. Her voice was featured in different TVCs and the children's favourite TV series 'Sisimpur'.
She grew up in a family involved in cultural activities, making it an inherited passion for her.
"I started singing from my childhood, but I started learning music academically at Chhayanaut Sangeet Vidyayatan from the age of eight. I graduated from Nazrul Geeti and Classical music in 2017. It was the same year I started my YouTube journey," Masha told us.
Masha's talent was recently highlighted for working with eminent film director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki in his TV series 'Ladies and Gentlemen' where she sang the title song.
Regarding this, she said, "One of the special achievements I would like to mention is legendary singer, Lucky Ali, sharing my cover of his song 'O Sanam'. Other than that, working with Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was an amazing achievements of my life as well."
She added that she has been receiving overwhelming love from her listeners and this motivates her to continue working.
Singing in different languages has allowed her to create a huge fan base on the internet, specifically in the South Asian region.
Masha said, "Every language has its own beauty and essence. That is why I try to explore different languages and genres when I sing."
Interestingly, Masha also mentioned that she never had plans to become a YouTuber. Her friends and family pushed her to open her YouTube channel. And now, she is one of the most renowned musical influencers on the video-sharing platform.
Apart from being a YouTuber, Masha is also a student of Finance at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
"When I started YouTubing, I never expected that I would reach so far. By the grace of the Almighty and the motivation I received from my surroundings, I have been blessed with such a great followers base. Although music is my primary profession, in future, I also want to work in the development sector," Masha told the correspondent.
Being a social media influencer brings unconditional support but sometimes it brings unnecessary criticism as well. When asked Masha if she has faced any negative experience, she answered that she has not.
She detailed, "I am grateful that I have received mostly positive feedback but I am not taking that for granted. I will try my best to keep up this impression."
Masha's father is also a singer and so is her mother. We asked her, "Would they be concerned if she chooses to work in the entertainment industry?"
She answered, "This concern is normal but throughout the years, by dint of my work and passion, I gained my parents' confidence. They are very supportive. My Nanumoni and Dadumoni, who left the world some time ago, were also my biggest supporters. They wanted me to do something great in this field and I aim to do so."
She continued that her Nanumoni loved Runa Laila. Masha too considers her as an idol.
Masha is not limited to only covering songs. She is working on originals as well. We asked Masha about the challenges she faces while creating content.
"The first challenge would be to come up with out-of-the-box ideas. The second one is to attain my followers' satisfaction. If my content does not reflect my peace and satisfaction, I will not share it. Being consistent with the content to keep people engaged can be challenging as well," she answered.
As our conversation came towards the end, Masha requested other aspiring artists to not lose their dignity and self-esteem at any cost.
"To grow as an artist you must not change yourself and remain confident even if you have a dollop of a dream. Otherwise, you will never get self-satisfaction," she said.
