Serj Tankian

Armenian-American rock vocalist and activist

Serj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and keyboardist of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down. Born on August 21, 1967, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tankian and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1975. He co-founded System of a Down in 1994 with his friends from the Armenian-American community. The band achieved commercial success with their self-titled debut album in 1998 and gained further popularity with their follow-up records "Toxicity" (2001) and "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" (2005).