When Mongolian metal band The HU uploaded its songs “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem” to YouTube in 2018, the group quickly became cultural ambassadors for their country, eventually earning them a spot on some of the biggest music festival lineups in the world.

The HU performs what they call “Hunnu Rock,” which is inspired by the ancient Mongolian empire known as The Huns, and their music features old Mongolian war cries and poetry through traditional Mongolian guttural throat singing.

According to the band’s website, all four members have bachelor’s or higher degrees in music, as well as several years of touring experience throughout Asia and the Pacific regions.

The band’s 2019 album, “The Gereg,” reached No. 103 on the Billboard 200 chart. There’s another album in the works, but a release date has yet to be set.

The HU will perform on 15 and 22 April the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Members Jaya and Gala, and their producer Dashka, spoke to The Desert Sun through Zoom about music in Mongolia, touring the world and their excitement to play Coachella. The following interview was edited for length and clarity.

Are there other musicians in Mongolia following in your footsteps?

JAYA: There are people who are trying to follow our path in the Hunnu Rock genre and who are inspired by us. We’re happy there are many bands coming from Mongolia and getting into the genre.

The HU perform on the fourth and final day of the Louder Than Life music festival. Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. The band will perform on April 15 and 22, 2022 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Was it hard to get your hands on Western music in Mongolia?

GALA: When we were growing up, our older brothers visited neighboring countries and they would purchase CDs during their travels. It was so precious back then due to the lack of imported products in our country. We would borrow each other’s and our brother’s CDs, but we always had to make sure not to scratch them, they always get scratched after few times no matter how careful you are. I remember having to borrow a Guns N’ Roses CD from my brother and listening to it and it would skip a beat because of the scratches. It didn’t matter, I still wiped the CD and listened over and over in my old CD player. I still have the CD player, and CD to this day because it is one of my greatest memories as a kid who loved music, and I still do as an artist.

What does it feel like to tour around the world and bring your music to people?

JAYA: It’s very important for us being the representation of our culture, language and rock genre. We are fascinated meeting our fans who positively embrace us.

Through all of your touring, is there an experience you remember the most?

GALA: When we first went on tour in Europe, we played the Rock am Ring festival (in Mendig, Germany). Being a young band, we thought there wouldn’t be many fans waiting for us. But when we came up to the stage, there were thousands of people waiting for us, clapping and cheering.

The HU brought their brand of Mongolian Hunnu rock to the masses on the fourth and final day of the Louder Than Life music festival. Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021

The HU received a lot of attention in 2019 and 2020, then COVID-19 stopped your momentum. How did that feel for the band?

DASHKA: The pandemic was a hard time all around the world, and it was true for the band. We were very disappointed about the tour cancellations. But it gave us more time to focus all the energy on our music. We’re hoping our second album will bring a lot of joy to the world.

What can your fans expect from the upcoming album?

GALA: In our next album, we have been working and collaborating with many amazing and legendary artists. We’ve spent the last 18 months writing, recording and perfecting these new songs that we hope all our fans around the world will enjoy, and [we hope to] further gain new fans. We’ve performed a few of the new songs live and we feel as though they’re connecting really well with our fans. We’re excited to release our new album this year.

Does it ever feel like there’s a language barrier between the band and the fans?

JAYA: We don’t worry about that at all because music is a universal language and there’s no barrier. We think from heart to heart, there’s no limit to what music can do. Our fans are good at remembering the lyrics. For example, when we sing, they’ll be chanting with us, no matter the language. It’s awesome how far they would [go] to learn our language and style. We’re so grateful.

The Hu performs on the Tito's Handmade Vodka Stage during Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 9 2021.

Is there anything you’d like for people to know about Mongolia?

GALA: On top of the history, we love to share the nobility practice that came from our ancestors that can be useful to the modern world. That ancient way of living is one of the greatest assets that humankind can have. One of our main goals is to share that feeling of how the nomadic way of living can be.

How do you feel about playing at Coachella?

JAYA: Not only are we excited to play at Coachella, but also people in Mongolia and our fans [are excited for them to play at the festival]. Everybody that we know is so excited for us to play at Coachella and is cheering us on. We can’t wait to go to our rehearsals to prepare for it.

source: (Desert Sun)