Serj Tankian Says 鈥淒own With the System鈥�

Jun 20, 2024

Few mainstream musicians begin their memoirs with a political analysis of United States foreign policy. But Serj Tankian, the lead singer of Grammy-winning System of a Down, is no ordinary rock star. He has refused to stick to music, and has used his celebrity megaphone to further social justice causes, especially regarding Armenia. In his new memoir, Tankian opens with a powerful analysis of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.聽

Since launching his music career in 1993, Tankian has performed for millions of fans and sold more than 42 million albums worldwide. He鈥檚 also a proud Armenian American and a dedicated activist. Together with Tom 麻豆社事件llo, he co-founded the nonprofit organization , which brought together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice.聽

Tankian is also a solo artist, composer, activist, painter, poet, and filmmaker, and has executive-produced multiple documentaries, including the award-winning , which tells the story of Armenia鈥檚 2018 revolution. He spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about his memoir, Down With The System.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined YES! in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽YES! Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent 麻豆社事件 Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.