Shavo Odadjian

Shavarsh "Shavo" Odadjian (Շավարշ "Շավո" Օդաջյան; born April 22, 1974) is an Armenian-American musician, best known as the bassist of heavy metal band System of a Down.

He also plays bass in a trap group called North Kingsley.

While attending college (majoring in Psychology and minoring in Art) and working in a bank, Odadjian began managing Soil – the band Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian were a part of in 1993.

Odadjian had met them in a recording studio, where he was rehearsing.

The two members called upon him for assistance, and he became manager of the band.

Odadjian says in an early interview that securing System's first local gig was a struggle:

"'I was managing the band and we had no demo [tape], we had no money, but we wanted to play a show. I was working at the bank and between wire transfers, I would be calling the Roxy. 'Hey, can you give us a show, man? Eddie, give us a show.' He'd say, 'I need a demo tape, I can't just give you a show.' In five minutes, I'd call again. One day the Roxy just blew up and said, 'Fine! Go sell 75 tickets.' We sold 150.'"

In 1995, Odadjian became the band's permanent bassist.

They named themselves System of a Down, after a poem written by bandmate Daron Malakian entitled "Victims of a Down."

Odadjian was not keen on being labeled "Victims," and thought that the word "System" appealed to a much broader audience.

The band has stated that they also wanted their CDs to be placed in stores alongside their favorite band, Slayer.

It was at this time that Odadjian passed on his original managerial responsibilities to Velvet Hammer Music.

Their first release was titled "Sugar."

Soon after, drummer Andy Khachaturian joined the band but was replaced in 1997 by current drummer John Dolmayan due to a hand injury.

Odadjian plays bass in System of a Down, and also sings live backing vocals.

His usual style of playing bass is with a pick, although he also has been seen fingerpicking during certain songs.

Odadjian is credited with writing noted System of a Down songs, among them "Toxicity", "Sugar", "Jet Pilot", "Bounce," "Mind," "Dreaming," and "U-Fig."

He has directed a majority of the band's music videos, and is responsible for stage design and lighting for each of their live performances.

On October 21, 2001, during a show in Grand Rapids, Michigan where System of a Down was headlining with Slipknot, Odadjian was assaulted, racially profiled and escorted out of the Van Andel Arena by security guards when he tried to enter the backstage.

He filed a lawsuit in March 2003.

Physically Odadjian catches the eye through his notoriously scaling, braided beard, and spiked arm bracelet.

Particularly Odadjian's beard quickly became a part of his signature look.

Commenting on System of a Down's reputation for biting, socially and politically charged lyrics, Odadjian has rejected the label of System of a Down as a "political band" in interviews.

He has stated:

"'We're not a political band. […] We're a life band. In the world we live today, politics plays a major role in every one of our lives so of course, we're going to speak about politics but we also speak about sex, drugs, laughing, crying and sadness and death and life, including politics ... If you write a song about New Orleans because help didn't come to them from their own country for four days, you're going to speak about that. That's something strong. That's huge, that's big, that's happening now. But that doesn't make us a political band. That makes us a band that raises awareness about certain issues.'"

During the band's hiatus from 2006 to 2010, Odadjian collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA on a project called AcHoZeN, which contributed a number of songs to the motion picture Babylon A.D. A compilation album was released in 2015.

Odadjian is also credited with the musical scoring of the film, alongside The Rza and Hans Zimmer.

Odadjian was born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union.

He moved to Los Angeles at the age of five and attended the Alex Pilibos Elementary School, an Armenian parochial school, along with future bandmates Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian.

During his youth, Odadjian has stated that he spent most of his time skateboarding and listening to punk rock and heavy metal music.

Among others, he credits Dead Kennedys, Slayer, Black Sabbath and Metallica as his favorite bands, and the most substantial influence on his musical development and career.

The band was on hiatus between 2006 and 2010, with group members focusing on outside projects.

Odadjian started a side project in May 2006 named AcHoZeN.

AcHoZeN is the musical alliance between Odadjian, Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA, Kinetic 9 (aka: Beretta 9 from Killarmy), and up-and-comer, the Reverend William Burke from Chicago.

Achozen's mantra is:

"'Many shall come, only a few shall be Achozen.'"

The four principal members feel that their unique sound is not only spiritual in nature, but a new genre of "heavy hip hop," not "rap-metal."

On October 31, 2009, Odadjian hosted the event "Halloween" at The Roxy, in which he and fellow System bandmates Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan reunited to jam on stage and perform various songs together, including System of a Down's "Suite-Pee."

The System of a Down trio also came together on November 20, 2009, and performed System songs together for a benefit honoring coma-stricken Chi Cheng of Deftones, with Chino Moreno of Deftones singing on lead vocals.

On November 23, 2010, System released an official statement declaring that they would play a number of European festivals in 2011, and they played a number of shows in western North America as well.