Serj Tankian has expressed his true feelings about the band Imagine Dragons, revealing that he has "zero respect" for them. However, it's not about their music.
It all started when the System of a Down frontman reached out to the group and asked them not to continue their concert in Azerbaijan. The musician had been actively expressing his thoughts about artists who consider performing in certain countries.
He wrote a letter to Imagine Dragons in an attempt to educate them about Azerbaijan's atrocities and that playing in the country would only "whitewash" the regime's image.
System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian recently told Metal Hammer he has no respect for Imagine Dragons' decision to play in Azerbaijan, saying it would help “whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image”. pic.twitter.com/ghGdVKEtTN
— Rock Feed 🎸 (@RockFeedNet) June 18, 2024
"As the humanitarian crisis worsens in Nagorno-Karabagh with starvation already being recorded I am forced to publicize this letter and their disregard for this humanitarian catastrophe. Maybe they felt they had a legal liability to play the show, maybe they just don't care," Tankian publicly said at the time.
Unfortunately, the group never responded and went on with their concert.
More recently, in an interview with Metal Hammer, Tankian expressed his frustration over the group, saying he doesn't know them or understand their way of thinking.
READ ALSO: System of a Down's Serj Tankian Shares True Feelings Over Losing Fans Due to His Activism
He further explained that he gets that people playing in other countries do it for money and to express their artistry. Still, he found it disappointing that they're willing to perform in a country where the government committed to ethnic cleansing.
"I don't know what to say about those artists. I don't respect them as human beings. F*** their art, they're not good human beings, as far as I'm concerned," he added.
Tankian noted that if a certain band performs in that country, he didn't know what to say to them as a human being.
"I don't even care about your music. If you're a bad human being, I don't give a f***. So that's where I'm at with that. I have zero respect for those guys," he said.
Later in the interview, Tankian explained that he decided to speak out about the country's atrocities not because of his ego but because he wanted to make a positive change.
He noted that he warned the band for their own sake and "their own morality."
As of this writing, none of the members of Image Dragons have yet to comment on the matter.
