Serj Tankian is a renowned musician and the lead vocalist for ‘System of a Down’, a Grammy Award-winning rock band. Apart from being the lead singer of this renowned rock band, he is also the founder and producer of ‘Serjical Strike Records,’ a musician, poet, and political activist. He has recorded five albums with the band ‘System of a Down’ and three solo albums throughout his career. Tankian dons his creative hat and writes poems while he is not performing or producing songs in the studio. ‘Cool Gardens,’ his first collection of poems, established him as a successful poet as well. Serj Tankian, an avid political activist, formed the organization ‘Axis of Justice’ with the goal of igniting youth interest in politics. His concerns for human rights, genocides, animal rights, and social justice have shaped both his musical style and personality.
Childhood & Adolescence
Serj Tankian was born in Beirut, Lebanon on August 21, 1967 to Armenian parents. His family relocated to Los Angeles, California, when he was five years old.He attended Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School and continued his education at California State University, Northridge. This is when he began playing musical instruments and writing songs.
Career of Serj
He formed the band ‘Soil’ alongside Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and Domingo Laranio. In 1994, when a few members quit the band, the surviving members, including him, founded ‘System of a Down’.The band began performing at local party scenes and rock clubs, where they drew a sizable crowd. In 1998, the band released the chart-topping self-titled album ‘System of a Down.’
In 2001, the band released ‘Toxicity,’ which is widely recognized as one of ‘System of a Down’s most popular albums to date. The next year, they published ‘Steal This Album!’2005 proved to be a fruitful year for the group, with the publication of two albums, ‘Mesmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’, the latter of which was more successful than the first. These were the band’s final two studio albums before their four-year break.
During the band’s break, he made his debut with the album ‘Elect the Dead,’ for which an official tour began on October 12, 2007. In November of the following year, he published the song ‘Fears’ in support of Amnesty International’s Global ‘Write-A-Thon’.On March 16, 2009, he played a symphonic rendition of the album ‘Elect the Dead’ in New Zealand with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. The live concert was captured for the next year’s DVD/CD release, ‘Elect the Dead Symphony.’
His sophomore solo album, ‘Imperfect Harmonies,’ was published in 2010 via Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records. In November of the same year, ‘System of a Down’ officially stated that they will resume touring in the United States and Europe and would reunite for gigs. In 2011, he took a break from music and collaborated with Steven Sater on a play based on the Ancient Greek tragedy ‘Prometheus Bound’. The American Repertory Theater presented this piece.
On July 10, 2012, he released his third studio solo album, titled ‘Harakiri,’ which was a follow-up to his previous record, ‘Imperfect Harmonies.’ The following year, he released his fourth studio solo album, ‘Orca,’ which was followed by a recorded version.In 2013, he released ‘Jazz-Iz Christ,’ his fifth studio album on Serjical Strike Records. The album combines elements of rock, progressive rock, and jazz.
Significant Works of Serj
‘System of a Down’, the band’s self-titled debut album published in 2000, was one of the band’s most popular releases to date. The album was awarded gold by the RIAA and platinum upon the release of their second album. Additionally, the album is now listed as one of the ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’.The band’s second album, ‘Toxicity,’ was released in 2001 and has been certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album peaked at number one on both the major American and Canadian charts.’Hypnotize’ was the band’s final studio album, released in 2005. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and reached the countdown mostly due to the success of the band’s sister album, ‘Mesmerize,’ which was also released that year, making this band one of the few to accomplish the feat in a single year. The RIAA certified it ‘Platinum’ in the United States.
Awards and Accomplishments
The band was nominated for a Europe Music Award for ‘Best Alternative Act’ in 2005. In 2006, ‘System of a Down’ won a Grammy Award for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ with the tune ‘B.Y.O.B.’.In 2006, the single ‘Toxicity’ was ranked 14th on VH1’s ‘Top 40 Metal Songs’ list.
Personal History and Legacies
In 2002, he co-founded the non-profit ‘Axis of Justice’ with Tom Morello. On June 9, 2012, in California, he married Angela Madatyan, a long-term girlfriend. Apart from his music career, he is a passionate animal rights activist, having signed the PETA petition opposing chicken slaughter at the KFC abattoir. He and the other members of ‘System of a Down’ appeared in the film ‘Screamers,’ which is based on the US government’s position on genocide. Additionally, he organized and participated in a number of protests in support of human rights, social justice, and genocides.
Estimated Net Worth
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Trivia
Before forming the band ‘System of a Down,’ this famed vocalist was the CEO of a software company.