Serj Tankian ( ; born August 21 , 1967 ) is an American musician , singer , songwriter , 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 band System of a Down , formed in 1994 . During his musical career , Tankian has released five albums with System of a Down , one with Arto Tunçboyacıyan ( '' Serart '' ) , as well as the five solo albums '' Elect the Dead '' , '' Imperfect Harmonies '' , '' Harakiri '' , '' Orca '' , and '' Jazz-Iz-Christ '' . A live orchestral version of Elect the Dead incorporating the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra named '' Elect the Dead Symphony '' was released . In 2002 , Tankian and Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello co-founded a non-profit political activist organization , Axis of Justice . Tankian also founded the music label Serjical Strike Records , and is represented by Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group under System of a Down . On August 12 , 2011 , Tankian was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister 's Medal for his contributions to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of music
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Serj Tankian