SERJ TANKIAN

Sketch: Yafiz Siddiqui

Born August 21, 1967 in Beirut

Serj Tankian is an Armenian American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist and occasional live rhythm guitarist of the metal band System of a Down.

"Life is that perfect fine line between ironies.

Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive.

Sometimes it's better to have a benign dictator than a dumb democracy, to be honest.

People think our music's very aggressive or angry or whatever, and it's just the opposite, really... I like laughing.  And I like being really calm before a show, and smiley."