Clif Hurt: A foreigner making music in Mongolia

There is a lot of talent hiding in the backstreets of Ulaanbaatar, so much so that when you stumble across it you wonder how you never knew about it in the first place. Clifton Hurt was the person that opened the singer/songwriter door for me when I arrived in Mongolia eight months ago and he himself deserves recognition.

Because since I first met him, he, along with others, has developed into a prominent figure in the music scene here in the city. I have watched him grow from just doing covers on a Saturday night to becoming a strong contestant on Universe Best Songs, playing his own gigs and writing his own music that has a both unique and interesting style.

After first coming to Mongolia almost three years ago to work for the Peace Corps in Moron, Khovsgol, he moved to Ulaanbaatar to teach music and develop his own career as a musician in August 2012. I decide to ask him a few questions as to why he chose to stay in Mongolia, his obvious passion for music, and his feelings about singing in Universe Best Songs.

My first question to him was exactly what it is about music that has kept him so focused from a young age. He tells me that “Music has always been an outlet for me. When I was younger, I was a part of a group and singing in choirs. My passion just grew as a musician and as a singer. I find that with music, I learn something new every day. I think what keeps me focused is how vast music is. I can sing so many genres and yet create my own style in the process.”

Listening to his music, you can hear that he has indeed drawn from many different genres. However, his voice and lyrics are unmistakably his. He writes passionately and honestly on topics that most people can relate to, which seems to be the reason he started writing music in the first place.

“I started writing my own music because I have a story to tell and music is an outlet and a way for me to share my ideas. Music should speak about life in a truthful and honest manner…”

But there are a lot of people out there doing the same thing and as Ulaanbaatar is such a small city, it must be hard to make one’s own voice and style stand out, I wonder how he deals with this and whether he feels that it’s a challenge.

“Standing out is something that I think naturally happens when you ‘do what you do’ and you create something personal. But sticking to the artist that you are and becoming better at your craft is essential. For me, I think challenging myself to create music that’s out of my comfort zone while adding a wide array of different musical elements makes me stand out.”

His past two sets at Ubean Coffee House and Roasterie and Nayra’s Cafe have been a collection of original work and covers, all of which vary in style but are still very much him. He now has a variety of his own work that does cross over normal genre conventions and stay stuck in your head long after he finishes playing. I ask him about his inspirations.

“My inspirations are my friends, family, and love. I think love is something that is lived out through our lives that we can all relate to. It begets passion and desire… I think just the idea of having a life to live and the opportunity to do something different and make a change inspires me. I grew up in a church community full of people who were awesome and always doing amazing things. They have all impacted me along the way. Always hearing people say “you can be what you want to be” has consumed me. Now, my purpose is to do what I love and love what I do in regards to music and in other parts of my life.”

I myself have certain favorites of his own work that stand out to me that I can relate to. But I am curious to know whether he himself could choose a favorite out of his own songs, albeit it can’t be easy to pick out something from your own body of work. He tells me that “My favorite song from my current work is ‘Perched.’ It is something that has evolved and will continue to evolve as I play it acoustic or with a band.”
A lot of people must wonder what it is about Mongolia that made Clif Hurt stay in the country for so long. He is dedicated to the music scene here and genuinely loves the culture and its people.

“Mongolia is a cool place. UB is small city but it has everything a city boy like me needs, plus I can pop right out of the city to the beautiful countryside if I need to. I love it! To be honest, I think it’s more of a challenge to work and gain an audience while aboard. It’s a challenge I have set for myself and I’m learning so much in the process.”

Naturally, I had to ask about Universe Best Songs. It’s fairly unusual for westerners to enter the competition though it has happened before. But I wondered why he challenged himself to be a part of it and sing in Mongolian.

“Universe Best Songs has been on my mind since I moved into the country. People heard I could sing and suggested that I try it out. I had the opportunity this year and I took it. It has tested me, especially with my pronunciation! It’s intimidating to go onstage in front of the judges and those cameras and sing in another language.”

I mention at the beginning of the interview that I have watched him grow as a musician since I first met him but I was interested to know whether he felt he had changed and what experiences had shaped him as a songwriter. After all, it is easy to make observations as a spectator and critic but you can never be sure whether people themselves feel they have changed.

“I am willing to listen to different styles and give an honest ear while listening to others and trying new things which I think has influenced this change. I have also become more comfortable on the guitar. My Peace Corps experience in general has reshaped me on many levels and has inspired a lot of my writing. I have found that if your music comes from the heart, people will listen.”

There are bound to be countless setbacks and difficulties when trying to establish yourself as a musician in general, let alone in a country that is not your own, so I ask him whether he has encountered many difficulties and how he deals with them.

“I remind myself that a challenge or a setback is only an experience that enables you to grow, learn, and move by meeting the challenge and learning from it. You need to learn how to move forward without losing sight of your goals.”

Finally, I wonder about what he sees for his future and what he wants to achieve because, in just over half a year, his whole career has changed for the better. If he keeps working with this determination and attitude, I can see him becoming all the things he deserves to be.

“My main goal for this year is to record and produce my own EP. I have enough material but I want to really strengthen my songwriting before I start. Other than that, I just want to keep making and playing my own music around the city, I’d really like to start singing with a band, too.”

For those of you that are interested in checking out his music, you can listen to his original work on soundcloud under “Clif Hurt” (https://soundcloud.com/clif-3). I would recommend listening to “Perched,” “Love Sick,” and “Slow & Steady” for a real range of his ability. You can also find him on Facebook under the same name. You will find details of live shows on his Facebook page or, alternatively, you can more than likely him see him on a Saturday night at Ubean Coffee House and Roasterie.

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