Mongolian folk-metal band the HU are a mission to conquer the world succeeding Chinggis Khaan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. Over the last couple years they’ve made great strides in that effort, thanks to viral hits such as “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem.” But they have their sights set on even greater conquests: In late 2019, the self-described “hunnu-rock” band staked their first claim to “a galaxy far, far away,” contributing the song “Sugaan Essena” to the Respawn Entertainment video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

The HU not only wrote the original tune specifically for the game, but they also penned its lyrics in a fictional language authentic to Star Wars, created with the guidance of Lucasfilm and Respawn.

“We’d been on a voyage of exploration trying out various approaches to a band for Cal Kestis, the main character in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, when players first meet him,” explains Nick Laviers, Audio Director at Respawn.

“When we first connected with the band, their team was very excited about the project. They were amazing to work with and after some initial direction they were able to put together a track that really hit the mark on everything we were looking for. After a couple of rounds of revisions and the HU basically creating an entirely new language that felt authentic to Star Wars, ‘Sugaan Essena’ was born.”

With the song finally getting a wide release via digital streaming platforms — as well as a striking performance video, which you can watch above — Revolver caught up with the HU’s Ts.Galbadrakh to get the inside story on the making of the stirring single.

How did you guys get involved in this project?

Ts.Galbadrakh: It started when Steve Schnur from Electronic Arts reached out to our managers, Tuga Namgur and Brandon Friesen. He said EA was interested in our music and wondered if it would be possible for us to work together on something for a Star Wars video game. And then our managers started the process. When they told us we might be working on something for Star Wars, and possibly writing a song for a Star Wars video game, it was a jaw-dropping moment for all of us. We were so excited!

Were you fans of Star Wars beforehand?

Ts.Galbadrakh: Absolutely! We were all fans of Star Wars. We started watching the movies at such young ages and all wanted to be Luke Skywalker. The character of Luke gives us a desire to be strong, honest men.

Is Star Wars popular in Mongolia?

Ts.Galbadrakh: I think there are Star Wars fans all over the world.