Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician, vocalist, songwriter, and political activist born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon, best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and co-primary songwriter of System of a Down — one of the most commercially successful and politically outspoken heavy metal bands in history. Tankian co-founded System of a Down in Los Angeles in 1994 alongside guitarist Daron Malakian, bassist Shavo Odadjian, and drummer John Dolmayan, and over the following decade helped build the band into one of the most distinctive and important acts in American heavy music.
His vocal style is one of the most immediately recognizable in rock — capable of moving from melodic singing to operatic flights to aggressive screaming within a single phrase, often in ways that feel simultaneously unpredictable and inevitable. His Armenian heritage deeply informs both his musical sensibility and his political activism, most notably his long-running campaign for recognition of the Armenian Genocide — an effort that predates his musical fame and has continued throughout his career with remarkable consistency and courage. System of a Down's 2005 single B.Y.O.B. directly addressed the genocide and brought the issue to mainstream attention in a way that few other artists had managed.
Tankian released his debut solo album Elect the Dead (2007) while System of a Down was on hiatus, demonstrating a more experimental and orchestral approach to his songwriting that complemented rather than replicated his work with the band. Imperfect Harmonies (2010), Harakiri (2012), and Elasticity (2021) have continued his solo output, each exploring different aspects of his musical personality. He has also composed orchestral works and film scores, reflecting a compositional ambition that extends well beyond the heavy metal context in which he first gained fame. System of a Down reunited in 2018 for live performances and released two new singles in 2020 for the first time in fifteen years.
You'll receive a confirmation email — click the link in it to make your comment visible.
Your email address is never displayed publicly.