According to John Dolmayan , drummer for System of a Down , musicians of the new generation need to be increasingly better to stand out amidst the expansion of the current scene. This topic was discussed in his recent interview with Australian influencer Lilian Tahmasian .
Dolmayan recalls the band's difficulties at the beginning of their career. "It's very expensive to be a musician. We needed $400 a month to pay rent, but to us, it felt like $4 million."
According to the musician, even when the group began to gain worldwide visibility, difficulties were still present, mainly from the industry, which showed great resistance. "The biggest radio station in the country said: 'we'll never play this band'. After a year, we were the most played band on the station," the drummer recalled.
After recounting the episode involving K-Rock , the drummer emphasized that the level of sacrifice for the profession and work ethic are the key to success, highlighting that if it weren't for his obsession with the drums, he wouldn't have gone so far in the music world.
“I played until my hands bled. When my pedals broke and I couldn’t afford new ones, I glued an old shoe to them and made it work. If you’re not willing to sacrifice, you probably won’t get anywhere.”
For him, technological advancements and the presence of social media in today's music scene make the profession more accessible. But it also brings new challenges to those who intend to follow this path: “It's easier nowadays, but it's also harder. Now the scene is much bigger. So, if you want to stand out, you have to be really, really good.”
John Dolmayan of System of a Down approves of the Trump administration.
During the interview, the musician also took the opportunity to share his opinion on the re-election of the President of the United States, Donald Trump .
Dolmayan said he supports the government and voted for the Republican candidate in the 2024 US elections. "I'm glad he won, because it brings a little sanity back."
He also cited the feeling of insecurity in the country and stated that, despite defending the right of everyone to live their lives freely, he is against what he called "the teaching of queer culture."
In 2023, the drummer had already spoken out about losing followers and friends because of his political stance, which is the opposite of that of his bandmate Serj Tankian , vocalist of System of a Down.
See the full interview:
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