Editing Serj Tankian (section)

==Early life==
Serj Tankian was born in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]], on August 21, 1967, to Armenian parents Khachadour and Alice Tankian.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Talking About Myself Is Fucking Boring as Shit': Serj Tankian on His 'Memoir (of Sorts)' |url=https://www.spin.com/2024/05/serj-tankian-on-his-memoir-of-sorts/ |access-date=August 27, 2024 |website=Spin|date=May 20, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Serj Tankian |url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/tankian_serj/artist.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905064341/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/tankian_serj/artist.jhtml |archive-date=September 5, 2011 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=[[MTV]]}}</ref><ref name="allmusicbiography">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/serj-tankian-p338947/biography|title=Serj Tankian|last=McIntosh|first=Gregory|website=Allmusic|access-date=May 13, 2010}}</ref> He traces his ancestry to the cities of [[Dörtyol]], [[Kayseri]], [[Tokat]], and [[Urfa]], all of which are in modern-day Turkey.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Tankian|first=Serj|date=April 22, 2014|title=Serj Tankian writes a letter to the people of Turkey|url=http://www.musicofarmenia.com/serj-tankian-writes-letter-people-turkey|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205145638/http://www.musicofarmenia.com/serj-tankian-writes-letter-people-turkey|archive-date=February 5, 2018|access-date=June 28, 2020|website=[[Music of Armenia (NGO)|Music of Armenia]]}}</ref> His four grandparents were survivors of the [[Armenian genocide]].<ref name=":2" /> Amid the [[Lebanese Civil War]], at the age of 7, he moved to the U.S. with his parents, and the family settled in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.spin.com/2024/05/serj-tankian-on-his-memoir-of-sorts/ | title='Talking About Myself is Fucking Boring as Shit': Serj Tankian on His 'Memoir (Of Sorts)' | date=May 20, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="allmusicbiography"/> In his youth, he attended the bilingual [[Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School]],<ref name="System of a Down: Right Here In Hollywood">{{cite book|last=Myers|first=Ben|title=System of a Down: Right Here In Hollywood|url=https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1932857885/#reader_1932857885|year=2007|publisher=Disinformation Company|isbn=978-1-932857-88-7|page=14}}</ref> which was also attended by his future System of a Down bandmates [[Daron Malakian]] and [[Shavo Odadjian]].<ref name="System of a Down Biography">{{cite web |title=System of a Down Biography|last=Brennan|first=Carol |work=NotableBiographies.com |url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2006-Ra-Z/System-of-a-Down.html |access-date=May 14, 2010}}</ref> Tankian was accepted into [[California State University, Northridge]], graduating with a marketing degree in 1989.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Osborne|first=Carry|date=2017|title=Power Serj|url=https://www.csun.edu/magazine/homepage/power-serj|website=Csun.edu}}</ref> During his sophomore year, he first began to play instruments, particularly the keyboard, and write songs.<ref name="allmusicbiography"/><ref name=":4" />

In an interview in 2021, Tankian stated; <blockquote>"I was very lost. I was playing music at home, but I didn't have a band, I didn't have any connection, and my vision hadn't interpreted that this was my future yet. I was like, probably 22, 23 when I was really, when I discovered it... I was driving home, I had a [[Jeep Wrangler]], I remember it was raining, very dramatic, and I really, I always say I have to go to the far reaches of who I don't wanna be to admit to myself who I really am. And I was in my car, and I literally stopped, and I just go, "I want to fuckin' do music. This is bullshit. I don't want to do all this shit." And that was the day that changed my life. From then on, anything I did was with the idea that I'm going on this path, and I gotta do whatever I gotta do to be on this path."<ref>{{Citation |title=In The Studio With Serj Tankian (System of a Down/Film Composer) | date=March 4, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Kf2OV9Cvg |access-date=2023-07-31 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>

During his college years, Tankian began participating in political activism, attempting to draw attention to the recognition of the [[Armenian genocide]] during his time as president of the university's Armenian Students Association.<ref name=":4" /> He has said that his activism started with the [[Armenian Youth Federation]] (AYF) and the Shant Student Association of the [[Armenian Revolutionary Federation]] (ARF).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tankian |first1=Serj |title=Let me add that my activism started in my AYF days, then onto Shant Student Org -ARF. |url=https://mobile.twitter.com/serjtankian/status/1534691144516268032 |website=Twitter |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220610100237/https://mobile.twitter.com/serjtankian/status/1534691144516268032 |archive-date=June 10, 2022 |date=June 9, 2022}}</ref>