System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian has shared a new solo song that serves as a resistance piece to the “slick theft” he claims he’s seen in Armenia’s political elections.
The track, which is sung entirely in the Armenian language, was written in 2017 but was completed this year. It features Armenian singer Sevak Amroyan and comes with a Hrag Yedalian-directed music video, which you can watch below.
The song’s title ‘Amber’ is pronounced “ahm-be’r” and translates to “clouds” in Armenian.
Tankian, who is American-Armenian, said: “‘Amber’ was written in 2017 after I visited Armenia along with my friends Atom & Arsinee Egoyan and Eric Nazarian as members of the coalition ‘Justice for Armenia’ to serve as election monitors for the Parliamentary elections.
“I was so distraught by the slick theft of the elections before ever reaching the ballot box that I wrote this song as a response.”
He continued: “The lyrics however seem to be more poignant today when Armenians are divided politically and socially following the devastating attack on Nagorno-Karabagh and Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey in 2020 and the continuous fallout over negotiations with those two dictatorial regimes. ‘Amber’s’ message is that of unity and harmony. Those are the only truly powerful weapons of the Armenian nation.”
Tankian added of the collaboration with Amroyan: “Sevak’s voice has a unique strength harking back to our people’s native lands. I loved listening to his songs like ‘Yarkhushta’ so when we met I was excited to work on something with him.”
Amroyan, who joins Takian in the music video, said: “Naturally, I have listened to Serj Tankian’s music since childhood and always with a sense of pride. After getting acquainted with him, I realised that in addition to being an iconic musician he’s also a very proud Armenian. I am happy about our collaboration and thankful to Serj that we’re singing ‘Amber’ together. It’s a great honour for me.”
Meanwhile, Tankian said last year that he was “happy” that he was vaccinated after testing positive for COVID.
The System Of A Down frontman’s diagnosis forced the band to postpone a pair of shows in Los Angeles, both of which were alongside Korn, Helmet and Russian Circles.
Taking to social media last October to thank fans for their outpouring of well wishes, Tankian wrote: “I am overwhelmed and extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and concern from friends and strangers alike.
“I am doing well and hoping to be clear of all symptoms soon. I believe that being vaccinated helped minimise my symptoms and suffering.”
Tankian’s last solo releases were the instrumental 2021 albums ‘Cinématique Series: Illuminate’ and ‘Cinématique Series: Violent Violins’.
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