Interview:	THE HU
Title:	A rewarding journey of self-discovery

The mysterious body of work of these Mongolian pioneers - with its multifaceted and captivating visual presence - is exceptional in every respect, reflecting their entirely unique artistic style. Now the inventors and pioneers of Hunnu Rock present their third album: the curtain rises on "Hun"!

What Sepultura boldly began in 1996 – when they travelled to the Brazilian rainforest (!) for a whole week and recorded authentic tribal elements right there on the spot – with their groundbreaking album "Roots", was to bear so many more delicious stylistic fruits. In this context, one need only look at New Zealand’s Alien Weaponry, whose songs are also hugely popular worldwide.

And The Hu are also reaping great success: since 2016, the exotically dazzling ethno-quartet from the capital Ulaanbaatar has been indulging in a fascinating musical vision that effortlessly enhances an enormously rousing sound with all manner of original folklore elements.

Here, throat singing meets massively driving electric guitars and powerfully pulsating drumming – and The Hu are also quite open to more modern (US) variations of the core genre, as the single "Lost Soul" reveals.

Thematically, the hugely exciting new album "Hun" once again draws on various Mongolian traditions and legends – often with outstanding epic scope – which the quartet brings to life with a remarkably universal vision.

As Enkhsaikhan 'Enkush' Batjargal, key member, player of the traditional morin khuur - two-stringed horse-head fiddle - and master of throat singing (under-tone singing) points out, bands like his don’t play a major role in Mongolia.

Congratulations on your new album, „Hun“ - I assume the demand for a follow-up to 2022’s „Rumble Of Thunder” has been growing steadily ever since?

„Yes, people were asking for new album since 2022.“



With your Hunnu Rock, you pioneers have created something truly unique and grand, which strikes Western listeners in particular as incredibly exotic, mysterious, and therefore appealing. What is the state of the Rock and Metal scene in your part of the world, and have you been able to build a stable or growing fan base there? 


„Metal and Rock listeners are not prominent in Mongolia if we discuss the number ratio relative to the whole population. Hunnu Rock genre – inspired young artists to take a leap in using traditional music instruments and encourage listeners to enjoy the genre. We also see visible increase in the numbers of festivals and festival goers who prefer hard Rock music. It also seems like overall number of festivals are bringing in Rock and Metal artists from all over the world in Mongolia for performance.“ 


How has the musical style of the band evolved since the previous album, and what do you particularly like about it at the moment? 


„We used some of the modern guitar riffs in horse head fiddle and vice versa. In other words, we also played horse head fiddle rhythms in the electric guitar in some of the songs. I personally love the thrill of the experimentation we took in this third album to create the 11 songs of the Hun Album.“ 


How do you see and evaluate this new output within your musical journey and what would you like to say about the new release in direct comparison to the previous longplayer?


„Music composition and song storytelling have changed on this album as we tried to tackle on human struggles and life.“ 


In 2022, UNESCO awarded you the Artist for Peace title, for which you are truly to be congratulated. Will perfect peace on earth remain a timeless dream for humanity?

„I wish the perfect peace wasn’t a dream but we all have to fight for the peace as much as we can and as often as we can.“


Also in 2022, you were supposed to go on a European tour as the opening act for the Swedish band Sabaton on their “Tour To End All Tours,” but unfortunately that didn’t work out - but you’ve managed to become really famous worldwide even without that, haven’t you?“


„Sabaton is a great band. Although we couldn’t perform with them in 2022, maybe we can do co-headline in the coming future.“ 


How does it feel right now, knowing that lots of worldwide people out there will be enjoying the new songs?


„As an artist, that is all you can hope for – have your fans and listeners understand the message you are trying to convey and enjoy the music you thought and recorded for a long time. I am very blessed to have so many loyal fans and people who are interested in what we have to say in our music.“ 


You guys have a lot on your plate right now - how well do you divide up the work, and how is the chemistry between all the musicians in The Hu? Also, how well do you all play together musically? 


„Chemistry in the band is something we always try to have very light and fun. The work is divided up on the agreements we have arranged previously and we try to be understanding and compassionate to each other when there are personal business are involved. What helps the group the most is having a common purpose and same goals and I can not stress that enough. It seems like such an obvious thing to have a same goal but the importance of actually talking through and being on a same page in terms of aspirations could define your overall long term success. Musically we are like a good oiled machine because of our previous history before the band has started and the experience we have had in the last decade performing together.“ 


How was the selection of songs for the album done - was it difficult or rather easy for the band?

„Healthy arguments on things that matters, in our case, our songs was important part of our processes. It was both easy and challenging to sort out the components of each songs because everyone had their ideas and we had to collectively agree before we moving forward with each song, so it was challenging but very much enjoyable.“



Your collaboration with Johnny Hawkins from US-American Alternative Metal act Nothing More on the song „Lost Soul” - how did that come about? Are you fans of him and his band, or is it the other way around - or both?


„Honestly, I didn’t know him as a person but the song we created was unique. In terms of the collaboration, we needed an artist with high vocal register than us and Jonny was brought up. The way he expresses himself matched the ideas we had for the song and it was something very fresh for us.“ 


How can readers picture the process of how you write, develop, and finish one of your new songs?

„We sometimes start with lyrics and work on our music composition but sometimes it goes vice versa. Depending on the message we are trying to deliver, we huddle up at the studio, share our ideas and try out on instruments and take it step by step.“



And were there any ups and downs along the way this time?

„Discussion on the songs could be challenging but we always focus on the problems we have not on the person who is raising the questions. Therefore, even in our lowest, we collectively try to solve an issue instead of getting into our feelings.“



You’re all experienced and talented musicians in the band - given your strong egos, does that make working together more difficult, or is it actually easier because you’re all pulling together toward a shared vision?

„Generally speaking, we try to be grounded in a sense. We think that if someone starts to have too much ego, everyone else becomes uncomfortable. In other words, when are trying to perform as a group, too much ego in someone can damage the vibe we have on stage and off stage. That is how it becomes too toxic in my opinion, so we try to check ourselves and be grounded as much as we can. Also, important to know that it is healthy as an artist to have an ego, it just can’t be too much to the point it hinders the rest of the group.“



When you look back today on all your experiences - both good and bad - since you started out as a musician, what has changed the most in your attitude toward Rock and Metal and the music industry?


„Rock and Metal music helps people to express themselves freely and best side of the Rock is to allow people to embrace themselves as who they are and that has allowed us to create our genre and do what we love. In the music industry, sometimes I think people sometimes forget the art of self expression and become too similar to each other to the point of losing themselves. I am not sure if I appreciate that.“ 


Anything you would like to add?

„Our album will be released on the 24th of July, we hope all of our fans and listeners enjoy the concept and the music. Thank you!“

© Markus Eck, 10.07.2026

Photo Credit: Blguunee Hiroshi

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