What is Mongolian throat singing?

One voice, two notes

Mongolian throat singing, called khöömii (also spelled khoomei or hoomei), is a way of singing where one person makes two or more notes at the same time: a deep, steady drone, and a whistling melody of overtones floating above it. The singer shapes the throat, tongue and lips to filter the sound until the hidden notes ring out.

In Norway it is called strupesang, in Sweden strupsång, in Denmark strubesang, in Finland kurkkulaulu and in Germany Kehlgesang. Read this introduction in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish.

Where it comes from

Throat singing grew up among the herders of Mongolia and its neighbors, such as Tuva, the Altai and Buryatia. It's tied to imitating nature: wind, rivers, animals, the open land. In 2010 UNESCO added the Mongolian traditional art of Khöömei to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The main styles

• Kharkhiraa: a very deep, growling sound, an octave below the normal voice.
• Isgeree: a bright, whistling melody high above the drone.

There are many more styles, named after where the sound resonates: the throat, the nose, the chest.

Women and throat singing

For a long time throat singing was performed mostly by men. Today more and more women perform it, and female throat singers are some of the most exciting voices in the genre.

The instruments you'll hear

• The morin khuur (horsehead fiddle)
• The khengereg (frame drum)
• The khomus (jaw harp)
• The tovshuur (lute)

Modern bands like The HU took this sound to rock and metal fans around the world.

Where UYANA fits in

UYANA is an artist whose music is made with AI tools and inspired by this tradition. She mixes throat-singing drones with steppe folk, ballads and dark folk-rock. Start with these songs: