Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian (Armenian: ԹԹ Թ ԝ ꀶ Թ Թ Թ ɶ twitter ) (Beirut, Lebanon, August 21, 1967) is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter, music producer, painter, American poet and activist of Armenian descent, known for being the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band System of a Down.

During his artistic career, Tankian with System of a Down, has released five studio albums. He also made an album together with Arto Tunçboyacıyan, titled Serart and in his solo stage, he has released five studio albums.In addition, he founded the record label Serjical Strike Records in 2001.

Serj is ranked 26th on the list of The 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time, according to the American magazine Hit Parader.

The online magazine Loudwire, placed Tankian at number 4 of the "Top 30 Greatest Metal Leaders of the 21st Century".

Biography

Serj was born to Armenian parents in Beirut on August 21, 1967. His four grandparents were survivors of the Armenian genocide. At the age of 7, he moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California, due to the 1975 Lebanese Civil War. In his youth, he attended an Armenian school called Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, in Los Angeles, which was also attended by two of the future members of System of a Down, Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. Tankian entered California State University, Northridge, graduating with a degree in marketing in 1989, where he began playing instruments, particularly the keyboard, and writing songs. He also began his activism during his college years, attempting to raise awareness for recognition of the Armenian Genocide during his term as president of the college's Armenian Student Association.

Artistic career

System of a Down

Serj Tankian with System of a Down in 2005.

Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian formed a band called Soil, with Tankian on vocals and keyboards, Daron Malakian on vocals and lead guitar, Dave Hakopyan on bass, and Domingo Laranio on drums. Shavo Odadjian was the band's manager and eventually joined it. Laranio and Hakopyan left the band because they felt it had no future. After Soil split, Tankian, Odadjian and Malakian formed a new band they called System of a Down, based on a poem Malakian wrote called "Victims of a Down&# 3. 4;. Their original drummer, Andy Khachaturian leaves the band and John Dolmayan enters in his place. Over the years, System of a Down released 5 studio albums. The first, System of a Down, in June 1998. The second, Toxicity in September 2001. The third, Steal This Album! in November 2002 and the double album Mezmerize/Hypnotize, on May 16 and November 22, 2005 respectively. Tankian has written most of the songs on System of a Down. In 2006, Daron Malakian announced that he would take a rather long break, but clarifying that it was not a dissolution of the group, and then return with several concerts in different parts of the world.

On November 29, 2010, after several weeks of internet rumors, System of a Down officially announced that they would be playing concerts in Europe during festivals and in North America, primarily the United States. The band gave a single concert in Moscow and in Mexico City in June 2011.

Serj Tankian was interviewed on January 9, 2015 by Rolling Stone magazine and asked about any plans to release a new album and Tankian said "There has been talk" about the new record and that he has composed some songs for a future album: "I have some compositions that might work, but I'm not sure."

Stage as soloist

Elect the Dead

Serj Tankian in concert as soloist at Coachella in 2008.

Serj Tankian continued his own label called Serjical Strike Records, announcing his solo project, on which he released his debut album Elect the Dead. The first singles were "The Unthinking Majority" and "Empty Walls". A music video was directed and filmed for each song on the record, initially some videos were exclusive to those who bought the limited edition of Elect the Dead , but were later posted on Tankian's website and on his YouTube channel. The official Elect the Dead tour began on October 12, 2007, with a show at the Vic Theater in Chicago. About a thousand people attended the first concert. Although Tankian had clarified that he was not going to present any songs from his old band System of a Down, he performed & # 34; Charades & # 34; and "Blue", songs co-written by System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian. "Blue" had previously appeared on his fourth demo and & # 34;Charades & # 34; it appeared during the Mezmerize/Hypnotize sessions in 2005, but was never released. The songs "Beethovens’ cunt", "Empty Walls" and "Sky is Over" are available as downloadable content for Rock Band. Most recently, he sang with Les Rita Mitsouko on the song & # 34; Terminal Beauty & # 34;. In addition, he sang with the band Fair to Midland in a live improvisational version of their song "Walls of Jericho", from the album Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True, which was a hit with fans. On March 16, 2009, with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand, an orchestral version of the album Elect the Dead was presented. The live performance was captured on a CD/DVD titled Elect the Dead Symphony, which was released on March 9, 2010. In 2009, Tankian collaborated with the band Viza for their track "Viktor". Viza signed with Tankian's Serjical Strike. On February 15, Serj Tankian released a new single, "The Charade".

Imperfect Harmonies

Serj Tankian in concert as soloist in Gothenburg in 2010.

The third album was originally going to be called Music Without Borders, however the final title was Imperfect Harmonies. On June 23, 2010 a song called & #34;Borders Are" was released as a promo for his new album. The first single from Imperfect Harmonies, "Left of Center" was released on July 13, 2010. A third single, "Disowned Inc." It was released on August 9, 2010. Imperfect Harmonies was released on September 21, 2010. Preceding the release of their album, two contests (one consisting of riddles related to album titles and one of artwork) were announced in the which fans could win prizes such as Tankian autographs and merchandise. On August 22, 2010, the music video for Left of Center was released on his MySpace account. In January 2011 Tankian posted a music video for his song Reconstructive Demonstrations. He also announced that a new EP called Imperfect Remixes would be released sometime in 2011. On March 1st Tankian released Imperfect Remixes and the music video for Goodbye, a Goodbye i>remix of Gate 21, from the album Imperfect Harmonies.

Harakiri

In early July 2011, Tankian posted a video on YouTube showing off two new songs. During the video he said “next year”. In several interviews they had indicated that he has been working on a rock album that will be released in 2011, and some secondary projects that include jazz, electronics and symphonic records. It was later confirmed that his album would be called Harakiri and would be released on July 10, 2012. This would be the first of four new albums to be released in the near future. Three other upcoming albums include an orchestra called Orca, a jazz album titled Jazz-Iz-Christ, and Fuktronic. by Harakiri, "Figure It Out", was released on May 1. A music video for the song appeared on Tankian's official YouTube page. A second single from the album, "Cornucopia", was released on June 10. A third single called "Harakiri" it was made available as a pre-order bonus from the Tankian website. He released his fourth studio album Orca on June 25, 2013.

Private life

On June 9, 2012, he married his girlfriend Angela Madatyan in a private ceremony in Simi Valley, California. Madatyan was born in Vanadzor, Armenia, on August 20, 1983.

Tankian was a vegetarian for ten years. He currently practices semi-vegetarianism, and only eats fish meat. He posted a photo of his first child, named Rumi Tankian, on his official Instagram page on October 24, 2014. He now resides in Warkworth, a semi-rural city north of Auckland, New Zealand.

Activism

Serj Tankian in 2006.

Tankian is passionate about human rights, recognition of genocide and social justice. These characteristics have helped shape his lyrical style in which he writes his music. He has organized and participated in many protests, including for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide with Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization co-founded with Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. He also covers many important current issues in his music. On System of a Down and his solo songs, his lyrics address topics such as the War on Terror, overpopulation, genocide, environmentalism, and the US prison system.

He and his System of a Down bandmates starred in a movie called Screamers that covers America's position on genocide. In the film there is an interview between Tankian and his grandfather, Stepan Haytayan, who is a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and talks about what he experienced during it.

On August 12, 2011, Tankian was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal for his contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the promotion of music.

Religion

Tankian has claimed to practice "the same religion as any tree. It is a mix of Native American, Buddhist and transcendental ideas. I like to think of the Earth as a mother. I like to think of heaven as a grandfather. God has been used for ulterior motives'. In another interview he has said: "I strongly believe that the indigenous populations had a very good intuitive understanding of why we are here and we are trying to gain that same understanding through psychology and intellect in modern civilization".

Politics

Serj Tankian in Armenia, 2011

In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Tankian originally endorsed Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and later stated that Barack Obama "presents the best possible scenario for a hopeful future, but I do not personally place my trust in any political office".

In the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primary, Tankian showed his support for Bernie Sanders. He wrote on Facebook: "When it comes to taking on the oligarchs, leading the fight for civil rights, equal income, and more, no other politician has been as consistent and incorruptible as Bernie Sanders.&# 3. 4;

On a tour of Chile with System of a Down, during a concert, Serj argued that the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet was supported by the United States and that Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State in the 1970s, he should be in jail for being one of those responsible for the overthrow and coup against Salvador Allende.

Tankian called Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, an idiot. "That man is an idiot and those who support him are just as idiots as he is."

In 2019, Tankian made a post on his official Instagram account, pointing out that the crisis in Venezuela is caused by Nicolás Maduro and the United States: «Venezuela has been in the midst of a horrible humanitarian catastrophe with millions of citizens who they have left the country and many who live in extreme conditions. The situation is complex. Both the Maduro government with its coercive actions and corruption, and Juan Guaidó, who appears to be a lackey of the United States, seem incapable of helping the people of Venezuela. The history of Venezuela is replete with foreign intervention, mainly due to its oil reserves. What I wish for the people of Venezuela is a peaceful resolution of the conflict without further bloodshed and a return to peace and hopefully prosperity. They all deserve it."

Tankian gave his opinion on the Catalan process. «You cannot oppose a people who have made their voices heard for independence. Imprisoning their leaders only further exasperates their quest for justice and independence."

Animal Rights and the Environment

Tankian also has strong feelings about protecting the environment and animals. He too has become a vegetarian and is against the creation of industrial slaughterhouses. In an interview with PETA, he claimed that his change was due to "the edible junk variety"; and he also felt that it was "kind of instinctual". Also, 'I feel the need to respect Mother Earth'. In July 2009, Tankian signed a PETA petition against the slaughtering methods of chickens at KFC slaughterhouses.

Discography

With System of a Down

• 1998: System of a Down
• 2001: Toxicity
• 2002: Steal This Album!
• 2005: Mezmerize
• 2005: Hypnotize

As a solo artist

Albums

Albums of study

• 2007: Elect the Dead
• 2010: Imperfect Harmonies
• 2012: Harakiri
• 2013: Orca Symphony No. 1
• 2013: Jazz-Iz-Christ
• 2021: Elasticity
• 2021: Desarming Time: A Modern Piano concerto
• 2021: Cool Gardens Poetry Suite
• 2021: Cinematique Series: Illuminate
• 2021: Cinematique Series: Violent Violins

Albums live

• 2009: Elect the Dead Symphony

With other artists

With Arto Tunçboyacıyan

• 2003: Serart

Axis of Justice

• 2004: Concert Series Volume 1

Simple

Year	Title	Best positions on lists
		Hot100	EUAAlt.	EUAMain.	EUARock	CAN	[UK Singles ChartIVAR.U.]
Elect the Dead
2007	"Empty Walls"	97	3	4	-	75	78
	«Lie Lie»	-	-	-	-	-	-
2008	"Sky Is Over"	-	22	23	-	-	-
Imperfect Harmonies
2010	«Left of Center»	-	-	-	-	-	-
	«Reconstructive Demonstrations»	-	-	-	-	-	-
Harakiri
2012	«Figure It Out»	-	-	17	44	-	-
	«Cornucopia»	-	-	-	-	-	-
	"Harakiri"	-	-	40	-	-	-
Simple without album
2008	«Fears»	-	-	-	-	-	-
2010	«The Charade»	-	-	-	-	-	-
2016	"Artsakh"	-	-	-	-	-	-
2017	«Industrialized Overload »	-	-	-	-	-	-
2018	"The Rough Dog"	-	-	-	-	-	-

Collaborations with other artists

Awards and nominations

System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, including one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song B.Y.O.B..