Serj Tankian has unveiled the music video for a new song, the folk/classical piece “Amber.”
The song was written with the System of a Down singer’s ancestral nation Armenia in mind and is sung entirely in the country’s native tongue. The title, “Amber,” is pronounced ‘ahm-be’r’ translates to ‘clouds’ in Armenian.
“’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,” Tankian explained in a press release. “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.”
For the final version of the song — completed in 2022 — Tankian tapped fellow Armenian singer Sevak Amroyan, who appears alongside the System of a Down frontman in the music video.
“NaturalIy, I have listened to Serj Tankian’s music since childhood and always with a sense of pride,” commented Amroyan. “After getting acquainted with him, I realized 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 honor for me.”
The digital release of “Amber” is set for Wednesday (June 8th). Below you can watch the track’s Hrag Yedalian-directed video.