Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American singer, songwriter, musician and producer from Beirut and Los Angeles. Born in 1967, he moves to Los Angeles with his parents at the age of five. He later studies marketing after high school, takes singing lessons for four years, and also learns guitar as a child.

System of a Down and early work

Tankian begins as the singer in the alternative metal band System of a Down. Before that band takes its later form, he founds Soil in 1993 with Daron Malakian; the group later goes on hiatus and develops into System of a Down. He remains a member of System of a Down and is also associated with Forever Young.

Solo career and projects

After System of a Down goes on hiatus, Tankian continues as a solo artist and producer. His solo music combines metal, rock and Armenian musical motifs, and his voice is known for its gritty, wide range. His solo albums include Elect the Dead, Elect the Dead Symphony and Imperfect Harmonies. On Elect the Dead Symphony, he performs with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra and later tours with the orchestra.

Tankian also works with several side projects and collaborations. He appears on Serart, a project with Arto Tunçboyaciyan, which is the first release on his label Serjical Strike Records. He also takes part in Jazz-Iz-Christ, Axis of Justice and Fuktronic. Outside his own albums, he provides guest vocals for Dog Fashion Disco on “Mushroom Cult” and for Deftones on “Mein”. He also produces Buckethead’s Enter the Chicken and sings on Buckethead tracks including “We are One”, “Coma” and “Waiting Here”.

Labels, activism and writing

Tankian runs Serjical Strike Records, a sub-division of Columbia Records, to release music by artists he feels are overlooked by the mainstream. He also releases music through ilovecoffee, Stunning Suppository Sounds and Woah Dad! Together with Tom Morello, he founds Axis of Justice. He is politically active and speaks publicly against violence and injustice.

He also writes poetry. His first poetry book, Cool Gardens, is published by MTV Books and includes artwork by Sako Shahinian. Tankian is vegetarian and has an interest in Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot and Edgar Allan Poe.