Broken Record

Daron Malakian first made his name as the enigmatic guitarist and songwriter behind System of a Down. Between 1998 and 2005, the band released five albums—three of which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. In 2006, System announced an indefinite hiatus. Eager to keep creating, Daron launched a new project: Scars on Broadway. Their debut album arrived in 2008 to critical acclaim. Since then, he’s reunited with System for a series of live performances—including a recent South American tour that drew massive crowds. Their final stop in São Paulo, Brazil, attracted an estimated 75,000 fans. Now, after seven years in the making, Daron is releasing Addicted to the Violence, the third Scars on Broadway album—featuring what he considers some of the best songs he’s ever written. On today’s episode, Leah Rose sits down with Daron to talk about why he believes he was destined to be a rock star, and how his parents’ journey from Baghdad to Hollywood helped