Mongolian Rock: The Real Hu (Part 2 of 2)

Continued from Part One…

Do you find that the Hu’s messages come through in the music even though many listeners don’t understand the words?

There are so many fans who are dedicated to understanding our lyrics; they are in tune with our spiritual messaging. We’re very spiritual people who understand that the words carry energy. And we also feel that the energy actually transcends into our fans when we’re performing and releasing our music. So while [many listeners] don’t understand the words at the moment they hear them, they are curious and want to understand. So they dig up [the information] by purchasing our vinyl where they get to see the translation, and they go onto our YouTube page. And they remember all the meanings of the words; they’re not going to listen and forget. What I have found is that dedicated fans love to understand the meanings in our music. They do research, and they carry on being our fans throughout the years. And we appreciate them.

Can you tell me about a particular performance that felt like a breakthrough?

It was pretty recent. It was last year at Hellfest [in Cisson, France]; we performed right before the headliner. That was one of the moments where we said, “Oh wow, okay, we’re going in the right direction. We’re going into the next level and we’re really going to have to do a next-level job.” We understand the responsibilities of it as well. And that is one of my fondest memories up to this date.

Has the worldwide success of the Hu inspired other artists in Mongolia to try to bring their music to a wider audience outside your country?

As a trailblazer of this genre – a successful combination of the two elements – there are going to be people inspired by the Hu. We love and embrace them as we were embraced to the rock community. And we’re really looking forward to see how other artists are going to bring their own [character] to it. We’re excited to see how hunnu rock is going to expand, and what it’s going to look like in, say, 10 years.

There are some artists trying to do exactly the same thing as the Hu; we understand that, but that’s not particularly what we want. Because copying something exactly is not original; it doesn’t suit them, and it doesn’t carry the same strength. What we’re looking for is [artists] who are original enough, who understand the elements and the melodic components enough to bring their own character into it. And there are artists who are starting to do that.

The ripple effect of what we’re doing is making people around the world aware of their own traditional instruments, and using those in classic rock. And so that is the most essential part, because that is part of culture, that is part of human history evolving. And who are we without our history?

We love to see people move forward and bring their artistry into it, because there is enough space in the rock community – and enough space in the world – for all of us to bring our own artistry. That’s the way we see it.

The band was designated as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. What does that mean to you?

We see it as a recognition of what we have done in terms of using historical instruments and making them popular again. That is aligned with the messaging of UNESCO. The recognition came directly from their director; she was exploring through Mongolia, and we ran into each other at the Naadam Festival. Because of so many historical artifacts that they found find in Mongolia, she was looking into a way of recognizing all of it. She was looking for somebody to represent that, which was us. So first of all, it was a great recognition from the UN.

But then the second part of it is that it’s a great responsibility. Because we use our instruments in their original form and also make it modern for the newer generation to enjoy. We’re going to keep moving the needle inch by inch, bringing the traditional instruments to the world and continue inspiring artists around the world to do the same. We have started doing that, and we’re going to continue doing so.

Has the group’s success around the world come as a surprise to you?

We feel very lucky. It’s been seven years since we released our first single and started touring around the world. But it’s been 10 years since the band started officially. But while we recognize that luck and appreciate the fans who are supporting us, we also feel very confident in what we do. We’re happy that we have started this journey of combining the East and West, bringing together the past and the present.
In the Hu, we have that philosophy in all of us. We’ve stuck by that philosophy; we’re stubborn enough to bring our own things into the music industry. It isn’t necessarily our goal just to be as successful as possible; the most important thing that we’re trying to do is to bring good music. That’s what keeps us united and moving together in this space.

As we’ve touched on, the band has a very full touring schedule ahead. What do you enjoy most about touring?

We love being on tour. First of all, we’re making human to human connection with our fans. Our live performance always hits, and people love to have that deep connection. People come to our live performances and understand the energy that we’re sending through our music. And we like to meet our fans; we enjoy seeing people across the world. We enjoy seeing them over and over again. We enjoy seeing them chant our names in the concert hall. It’s an amazing feeling; it’s a surreal feeling, because it’s proof that the things we’re doing are transcending across the world.

Every tour has its own own energy to it. We have toured with Megadeth, and then we did a tour with industry legends Iron Maiden. We are going to do the tour with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. It’s not an easy task to complete, but we enjoy the challenge. Our goal is to bring an amazing show each time; we’re building that brick by brick, if you will. We’re here to stay, and we’re going to keep touring as much as possible.