Huun-Huur-Tu Quotes

I became a musician at a very young age. I started playing different kinds of music. And also, I met another founder of our band, Khaigal-ool Khovalyg, 20 or 25 years ago. We played together not rock, but our traditional songs. We traveled around Russia, and I went to [Kislovodsk] to learn to play other kinds of music, classical or jazz or rock. When I went back home, I started the band with my brother and my friend Khaigal-ool, to try to play our ancient instrumental music.
Sayan Bapa 

I just enjoy this kind of music. It’s [not unusual] for Tuvinian singers to know each of the styles of khoomei. If you like kargyraa, you just like kargyraa. You just do the sound, it’s where you’re comfortable. It’s not such a big deal for Tuvinian musicians. Each of us specialize in sygyt or khoomei or a different type of kargyraa, just like if you like guitar you just play guitar. If you like it, you play it.
Sayan Bapa 

In our lyrics, in our poetry, our songs are like maps. If you know Tuva, if you listen to a song, [it tells you] how the steppe varies, how the place looks. People who have never seen Tuva, they understand also from the words and melodies, from this essence of the landscape, of our part of Tuva. It’s very geographical. And also this music is formed from our traditional instruments—very soft, very simple, and the sound is close to nature, if you listen carefully. For me, [music] is a real transportation to my country, to my place. For Tuvinian people, it is very important.
Sayan Bapa