Serj Tankian

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Tankian's journey began after college when he met Daron Malakian at a recording studio; Shavo Odadjian was later introduced through mutual friends. After graduating from California State University, Northridge in 1992 with a degree in marketing and international business, he felt lost until age 22 or 23. In a pivotal moment while driving his Jeep Wrangler home in the rain, he realized, "I want to fuckin' do music. This is bullshit." This epiphany launched his path from playing instruments at home to forming Soil with Malakian and others. When drummer Ontronik Khachaturian left due to a hand injury, John Dolmayan joined, solidifying the lineup that would create System of a Down. The band's name was inspired by a poem by Malakian titled "Victims of a Down," which later appeared on their debut album as the song 'P.L.U.C.K.' (standing for 'Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers').

In Their Own Story

Tankian's solo breakthrough arrived with Elect the Dead in 2007, featuring singles like "The Unthinking Majority" and "Empty Walls." For the tour, he initially promised no System of a Down material but performed "Charades" and "Blue," songs co-written by Malakian. He utilized his backing band, the Flying Cunts of Chaos, to adapt piano-and-vocal tracks into full arrangements. His second solo album, Imperfect Harmonies (2010), aimed for a jazz-orchestral sound where he envisioned "the orchestra [to] be the electric guitar." In 2020, System of a Down returned with "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz," donating profits to the Armenia Fund during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. By 2024, they performed two headline gigs, including a historic standalone show at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park alongside Deftones.

Reader's Guide

System of a Down released five studio albums: System of a Down, Toxicity, Steal This Album!, Mezmerize, and Hypnotize. Three debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and they won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2006 for "B.Y.O.B." After a hiatus announced in May 2006, they toured Europe and North America starting November 29, 2010. Their political activism is central to their identity; Tankian co-founded Axis of Justice with Tom Morello in 2002. He also founded Serjical Strike Records and released Elect the Dead Symphony featuring the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Fans can explore his five solo albums—Elect the Dead, Imperfect Harmonies, Harakiri, Orca, and Elasticity—which showcase his diverse vocal style and political messaging.

Did You Know?

• Tankian's vocal range is often noted for its flexibility, though a specific 4.2-octave figure is not widely confirmed by authoritative sources.
• In 2006, he was ranked No. 26 on Hit Parader's list of "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists".
• He co-founded the non-profit Axis of Justice in 2002 alongside Tom Morello.
• Tankian received the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal in 2011 for his contributions to recognizing the Armenian genocide.
• The band System of a Down was named after a poem by Daron Malakian called "Victims of a Down," which was adapted into the song 'P.L.U.C.K.' on their debut album.