Millions of people around the world know Serj Tankian by name. On the surface, he’s widely recognized for his unique and animated vocal instrumentation in System Of A Down. His art expands across multiple mediums—painting, composing, poetry, filmmaking—all of which he utilizes as avenues of expression to draw attention to atrocities like the Armenian genocide and other issues Armenians have faced over the course of many years. As a lifelong activist and an outspoken, effective voice against social injustice, there are many layers to Tankian’s artistry. It’s through his words and lyrics that you begin to uncover the messages that reveal his deep-seated motivation to create music in the first place—and being true to himself has always been a part of that.

“When you can see something clearly, but most people can’t, they’re going to react to you by saying what you’re doing is bad,” Tankian shares. “A lot of artists don’t mix politics with their career because they don’t want to turn away their followers, but I don’t call those people artists. The word ‘artist’ itself, to me, has a bearing of truth. As an artist, whether you’re painting or writing music—whatever you’re doing—you have to always be truthful. If you can’t, then you’re not an artist.”

Although many know Tankian for being a piece of SOAD, he believes “an artist produces by themselves before they produce in collaboration,” referring to this as the “natural default state.” Creating music as a solo artist has truly allowed him the opportunity to completely lose himself within the medium—a part of creating that he cherishes.

Tankian’s latest solo creation, or collection of songs, comes in the form of a five-track EP titled Foundations. The name highlights the importance of how his elders played such an important role in his life. His grandfather’s stories of unimaginable tragedy, loss, strength, and perseverance, as both his grandparents struggled to survive through the Armenian genocide. The sacrifices his parents made to escape rising tensions and conflict in Beirut to live in Los Angeles when Tankian was just a child. The historical atrocities of the Armenian people that continue to be swept under the rug and not appropriately acknowledged. All of these things are woven into the fabric of who he is—his foundation. The EP pairs perfectly with his latest compelling and eye-opening book, Down with the System: A Memoir (of Sorts).

“While I was writing the book, I was referencing a lot of music from different times in my life, and at the same time, I was mixing a lot of songs from my archives, and these songs (that make up the EP) popped out,” explains Tankian. “I thought that these really cover a good array of time in my career. They’re all rock, and they all gel together.”

For Foundations, Tankian was able to utilize a collection of compositions from his musical archive from over the years, piecing them together, repurposing, and touching them up. The result is five songs that radiate with rebellion. Each track exudes a dynamic range of emotions, melodies, and energy that both embody Tankian’s truth and enlighten the listener.

“Some of these songs might actually predate SOAD,” Tankian says nonchalantly. “For example, ‘AF Day’ has my original vocals from 25-30 years ago. I was tempted to change it because I could make it sound better, but there’s this grittiness that I can’t reproduce in my voice right now. It was nice to capture that retrospective element.”

He continues, “The songs have evolved, but a lot of them have stayed quite original in terms of the recordings themselves. I did that on purpose because I wanted to maintain the archival quality of the recordings.”

It’s the archival nature of Foundations that, musically, reveals part of its true beauty. Artistic moments and feelings captured in time across Tankian’s near-30-year career. The remarkable thing is it all sounds so cohesive and refreshing. On top of that, the messages are completely relevant today.

“‘Justice Will Shine On’ was an old song I had, kind of, in the current form (heard on the new EP). I changed the drums and added a new chorus in 2015 because we were trying to work that song in along with one of Daron’s (SOAD) songs at the time—which we never ended up releasing, so I released it myself…I mean, that song talks about genocide and the importance of recognizing it, and recognition is just the first stage of trying to prevent it. Unfortunately, we’re at a time in our history where we haven’t been able to prevent genocide, and it is still occurring today, around the world. I find this song to be relevant and timely because of that sad fact.”

Foundations is out now digitally, and you can preorder a physical copy from the official Serj Tankian website here. The book Down With the System by Serj Tankian is out now, and you can order it from Hachette Books. Follow Serj Tankian on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for future updates.