The Hu: Just Khan Get Enough As They Head To Australia To Play Download Festival

Armed with a strong sense of tradition, The Hu may just be the most powerful force to arise from the Mongolian steppe since Genghis Khan.

The Hu play a unique brand of music called 'hunnu rock', which combines traditional Mongolian instruments with compositional elements borrowed from heavy metal and classic rock, in a thunderous meshing of Eastern and Western influences. The music itself is punctuated by their use of Mongolian throat singing, a variation of overtone singing in which the singer produces two or more harmonic pitches simultaneously.

Brought together with traditional Mongolian instruments such as the topshur (two or three string lute), morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) and tsuur (a type of flute), the result is nothing short of breathtaking.

The band's name, as well as the term 'hunnu rock', is derived from the Mongolian root word for human, 'hu'. In 2018, The Hu uploaded two videos to YouTube for their songs 'Yuve Yuve Yu' and 'Wolf Totem'; as of December this year, the videos have clocked up over 31 million and 21 million views, respectively.

In September of this year, The Hu released their debut album titled 'The Gereg', a term used as a diplomatic passport in the time of Genghis Khan. The album features the band's fourth single 'The Great Chinggis Khaan', an ode to the enduring legacy the ruler forged.


Ahead of their Australia visit next year for Download Festival as well as their own headlining sideshows, The Hu take some time here to tell us more about themselves and the music they make as well as plans for their Australian shows and how the world has embraced 'hunnu rock'.

How is your US tour going so far? Any funny stories from the road you’d like share?
Our North American tour has been nothing short of amazing. We feel so much connection, love and support. Everywhere we go our fans chant with us, they sing with us and they mosh with us.

One time our bus was delayed due to a blizzard, so we had to load in through the crowd and some fans started to help us. It was kind of funny.

For the uninitiated, can you describe your style of music you have labelled ‘hunnu rock’?
Hunnu rock is a blend of Mongolian traditional music and contemporary rock music. Eastern meets Western and the past meets present. The genre is very dynamic; it can be metal, but it can also be classic rock. The most unique thing about the style is the Mongolian throat singing, which is an amazing sound that humans make that creates the upper and lower harmony together.


You released your debut album, ‘The Gereg’, earlier this year – after all the work that went into creating it, how are you feeling about what you have shared with the world?
We feel amazing! Yes, [we] expected some kind of success because we worked so hard to make these songs. We travelled more than 5,000 kilometres off-road to western Mongolia to film 'Yuve Yuve Yu'.

There were days we got so hot in the desert or got so cold on a mountain top the next day. We’re very honoured and humbled by the reactions of people all around the world.

Is there a central theme running throughout the record, or do these songs showcase a diverse range of themes and lyrics you wanted to explore?
The inspiration behind our lyrics are from our Mongolian history and culture. Some of our songs contain old Mongolian rock inscription and war cries.

Our message to the world, via our music, is reminding the importance of showing gratitude to your parents, loving your homeland, protecting nature, loving and respecting women, respecting your country's history and ancestors, and finally giving individuals an inner power and belief for their future.


What role did producer Dashdondog ‘Dashka’ Bayarmagnai have with the creation process of the album, refining the songs etc.?
He plays a big role. Dashka is considered a member of the band even though he’s not on stage with us. We have a great relationship him.

Danny Case of From Ashes To New also features on ‘Yuve Yuve Yu’ – how did that collaboration come about?
Danny [clean vocals] is a very talented singer; we love the collaboration. We’re on the same label so that’s why it was an easier process for us to collaborate. We are open to trying different things including English lyrics in our songs.

Do you have plans/ hopes for future studio collaborations?
Yes, we’re working on some collaborations right now.

The word 'gereg' traces back to the time of Genghis Khan and was used as the first diplomatic 'password' by the Mongol empire – that's a cool reference to include; was there a particular reason you did title the album ‘gereg’?
In the 13th Century a person who had the 'gereg' could travel many countries without any harm and restrictions. We named our album 'The Gereg', so that we can travel to every country in the world freely and share our music with everyone.

The tribal aspect of your music is extremely strong (and beautiful – your music reminds me of Vikings going into battle); how important is it to the group to marry the Eastern traditions and philosophies you have grown up with, with Western-styled music?
As mentioned earlier, our style is where Eastern meets Western and the past meets present. It’s very important to us to see great things in every culture.

The band is headed to Australia to play Download Festival (Melbourne and Sydney) as well as sideshows in Brisbane and Adelaide in 2020 – what are your expectations for the tour?
We are so excited to see our Australian fans.

We will have a lot of energy sharing our message, which is reminding the importance of showing gratitude to your parents, loving your homeland, protecting nature, loving and respecting women, respecting your country’s history and ancestors, and finally giving individuals an inner power and belief for their future.

You also played Download Festival in the UK – how does it feel playing one of the biggest metal festivals in the world so quickly after forming the band?
We are grateful to perform on these legendary festival stages. Most of all, we’re humbled by the love and support we receive from the fans at these festivals.

The Hu - NSW cover Dec 2019

I’m assuming this is your first-time visiting Australia; what are some things about our country that you have heard and what to see/ experience first-hand? And fyi, we don’t keep kangaroos as pets (sorry, The Simpsons lied).
We cannot wait to come to Australia. We’ve seen so many funny videos of kangaroos. Hopefully we see a real kangaroo while we’re in Australia.

Elton John has declared himself a fan; what was your reaction when you heard that?
This was a very humbling experience for us to hear him to say that he’s a fan. We love and deeply respect him and his works. It was an unreal moment.

And has anyone else you admire or grew up listening to reached out to you?
When we were in Richmond, Virginia, Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God came to our tour bus. We grew up loving and listening to his music. It was an honour for us to know that he knew who we were, and take the time to visit us.

What has been your favourite experience, interaction with a fan/s?
We always have great experiences with our fans. One of the favourite memories: there was a non-Mongolian guy who could throat-sing in Mongolian at The Melkweg in Amsterdam. We were blown away by him and how good he sounded.

Can you tell us a bit more about the traditional Mongolian instrument Morin Khuur (is it a popular instrument to play in Mongolia)?
Morin Khuur has two strings and is played with bows. Our ancestors have been playing this instrument for thousands of years. It’s a popular instrument in Mongolia. We believe that Morin Khuur brings positive energies to the place where it’s been played.

Do you hope to see an upsurge in Western musicians playing Mongolian instruments?
That’s the dream.

The Hu are the first Mongolian musical act to top a Billboard chart, ever (with ‘Wolf Totem’). You must be super proud of that achievement; what does it mean to the band?
It means everything to us. We are so honoured to be in the Billboard charts. We’re the first Mongolian act to appear on these charts; hopefully we’ll get more Mongolian acts on the charts in the future.