Mongolian rock band the ‘Hu’ has been awarded the Order of Chinggis Khaan, the highest state award conferred for distinguished citizens of special merit. The award was presented to B.Dashdondog, the band’s producer on 27 November as the ‘Hu’ is on tour in North America.

The order is conferred upon distinguished personalities who have made priceless contributions to strengthening the independence and sovereignty of Mongolia and unity of the people, and promoting the historic and cultural heritage of Mongolia to the world, and performing great deeds for the state, community and the nation.

The Order of Chinggis Khaan is presented annually by the President of Mongolia on the Auspicious first day of the first month of winter, according to the Lunar Calendar. The day is celebrated nationwide as the Birthday of Great Chinggis Khaan and National Pride Day.

Founded in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar, by their producer B.Dashdondog, along with the members Gala, Jaya, Temka, and Enkush. The ‘Hu’ combines Rock Music with traditional Mongolian instrumentation like the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), Tovshuur (Mongolian guitar), Tumur Khuur (jaw harp), guttural throating singing and the bombastic bass and drums of rock.  The band’s name, the ‘Hu’, is the Mongolian root word for human being.  They call their style “Hunnu Rock”, inspired by the Hunnu, an ancient Mongolian empire, known as the Huns in western culture. Some of the band’s lyrics include old Mongolian war cries and poetry.

Their first two videos, Wolf Totem, and Yuve Yuve Yu (or How Strange, How Strange) have amassed more than 45m views on YouTube over the last year, while their debut album, The Gereg, opened at No 1 on Billboard’s Top New Artist chart and No 2 on the magazine’s Indie Label chart. Likewise, it hit No 2 on the UK’s Rock & Metal Album chart and No 4 on the Album Downloads list, while in Australia it broke the top five in overall digital sales. The Hu’s Facebook page has more than 300,000 followers.