Serj Tankian is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who helped form the band System of a Down (SoaD) in 1994 with Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. After releasing five studio albums, SoaD went on hiatus in 2006. The following year, Tankian released his first studio album "Elect The Dead," which was critically acclaimed upon release with the single "Empty Walls" becoming a top 100 hit. As a member of SoaD and a solo artist, Tankian has consistently used his music as a platform to speak out against the War on Terror, mass incarceration, terrorism, factory farms, and genocide. Being of Armenian descent, much of his activism has focused on Armenian genocide recognition. In 2011, his efforts earned him the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal.