Serj Tankian Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 10.5 in |
Weight | 72 kg |
Date of Birth | August 21, 1967 |
Zodiac Sign | Leo |
Spouse | Angela Madatyan |
Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who is well known for being the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and sometimes rhythm guitarist of a metal band System with a Down founded in 1994. Their albums reached commercial success and a massive audience, and 3 of 5 albums reached the number one spot at the Billboard 200 list. The band was also nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, and the song B.Y.O.B. won the Grammy Award for “Best Hard Rock Performance of 2006,” beating Nine Inch Nails of Trent Reznor. The band went on a hiatus in November 2010, but on January 8, 2015, they announced recording and releasing a new album was a possibility after their tour, Wake Up The Souls Tour, comes to an end.
Born Name
Serj Tankian
Nick Name
Serjical
Sun Sign
Leo
Born Place
Beirut, Lebanon
Residence
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Warkworth, Auckland, New Zealand
Nationality
Education
When he was young, he attended Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School.
He was later accepted into California State University, Northridge, where he began to play instruments and write songs.
Occupation
Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Instrumentalist, Record Producer
Family
- Father – Khatchadour Tankian (Musician)
- Mother – Alice Tankian
- Siblings – Sevag Tankian (Brother) (Actor)
Manager
Serj is represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
Genre
Alternative Metal, Nu-Metal, Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion
Instruments
Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Guitar, Sampler, Drums, Violin, Bass Guitar, Harmonica, Melodica, Dulcimer, Kaossilator, Melodica, Synthesizer
Labels
Serj has been signed to recording labels such as –
- Reprise Records
- Columbia Records
- Axis of Justice
- American Recordings
- Serjical Strike Records
- Woah Dad!
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 10.5 in or 179 cm
Weight
72 kg or 159 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Serj has dated –
- Angela Madatyan (2004-Present) – His only prominent relationship was with Angela, and they got together in April 2004. They were dating for 8 years, up until June 9, 2012, when they got married in a private ceremony hosted in Simi Valley, California. As a result of their marriage, they have a son named Rumi Tankian Madatyan (b. October 24, 2014.)
Race / Ethnicity
White
Serj is of Armenian descent.
Hair Color
Black (Natural)
Due to his advancing age, his hair has turned ‘Salt and Pepper’.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Facial hair – soul patch or Vandyke-looking beard
- Prominent nose
Religion
A mix of Native American, transcendental and Buddhist ideas.
Best Known For
- Being the lead vocalist and instrumentalist of a metal band System of a Down, formed in 1994
- Being a founder of the Axis of Justice, a charity organization created in 2002, that brings together musicians and the audience and fights for social justice
- Releasing 5 albums with System of a Down from 1994 to 2010
- His activism on human rights, animal protection, and various social issues
- Being considered one of the greatest vocalists, with a range of 4.2 octaves
First Album
The debut solo album of System of a Down metal band had the exact same name – System of a Down and was released on June 30, 1998, under record labels Columbia Records and American Recordings.
He also had a notable solo career, with his debut album as a solo artist, Elect the Dead, being released on October 22, 2007. Songs such as The Unthinking Majority and Empty Walls, as well as the music video for the song, Feed Us, drew a lot of attention from the audience and positive reviews from the critics.
First TV Show
He made his first TV show appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in 2005.
Serj Tankian Favorite Things
- Album Artwork – Earth, Wind & Fire – I Am (1979)
- Soundtrack – Ennico Morricone – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly OST (1966)
Source – Louder Sound
Serj Tankian Facts
- Due to a unique delivery style and vocal prowess, he was ranked as one of the greatest vocalists in metal history in 2017.
- His vocal range was around 4.2 octave (the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency) and he is known to have a moderately-high and diverse range, which is comparable to the voice range of Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Rob Halford, Anthony Kiedis, and Steven Tyler.
- In 2006, according to Hit Parader magazine, Serj took the 26th spot on the “Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists” list.
- Even though he was born in Beirut, Lebanon, he has Armenian roots and moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 7, along with his parents and his brother.
- He attended Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, which was bilingual – Armenian and American. His brother, Sevag Tankian, also went there, along with Shavo Odadjian and Daron Malakian, and the latter 2 would become Serj’s bandmates, as they formed System of Down together in 1994.
- Shavo Odadjian was initially a band manager, but later became rhythm guitarist for the band.
- The name of the band, System of a Down, was inspired by a poem Daron Malakian wrote, named Victims of a Down.
- Serj’s 1st album as part of System of a Down metal band had the same exact name and came out on June 30, 1998. The 2nd one followed 3 years after, on September 4, 2001, and was titled Toxicity.
- The next 3 albums as part of System of a Down were published in a span of a few years – Steal This Album! on November 26, 2002, Mezmerize on May 17, 2005, and Hypnotize on November 22, 2005, all through American Recordings and Columbia Records.
- On May 2006, it was announced they were going on a hiatus. However, on November 29, 2010, they announced they would start playing shows, and spent the next 3 years on a tour through the US and North America.
- Serj Tankian founded his own record label in April 2001 and named it Serjical Strike Records.
- Serj released multiple albums as a solo artist. Elect the Dead was the 1st, released on October 22, 2007, and the 2nd one was initially due to be released in 2009, but ended up being released on September 21, 2010. It was named Imperfect Harmonies and was signed by Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records.
- His 3rd solo studio album was named Harakiri and was released on July 10, 2012, featuring jazz, symphonic, and electronic elements. The 4th solo studio album, Orca Symphony No. 1, came out on June 25, 2013, and had a form of a classical symphony.
- The 5th solo studio album by Serj was Jazz-Iz-Christ and was released on July 23, 2013, signed under Serjical Strike Records. It contained his vocals on only 4 out of 15 tracks that were on the album – others were purely instrumental, or had a female vocalist, such as the End of Time song.
- He is very passionate about human rights and social justice, which translated to the lyrics of his songs, where he covered many of the social issues happening within the last century – war, terrorism, genocide, overpopulation, and prison system in America.
- His grandfather was the survivor of the Armenian Genocide, and his experience was captured in a documentary film named Screamers that came out in 2006.
- Armenian Prime Minister’s Medal was awarded to Serj Tankian for his contribution to Armenian reputation, advancement of music, and recognition of the Armenian genocide.
- He collaborated with metal, electrofunk, and rap musicians such as Tech N9ne, David Draiman, frontman of Disturbed, band Viza, and many others.
- Serj wrote his 1st ever full-length book of poetry titled Cool Gardens in 2002.
- He co-wrote an entire musical that is based on the Prometheus Bound, an Ancient Greek tragedy. It was premiered on March 14, 2011, at the American Repertory Theater.
- Visit his official website @ serjtankian.com.
- Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, YouTube VEVO.
Featured Image by Serj Tankian / Instagram