Conversation so far:
Is System of a Down still a band in light of this project?
formed a new band using the name "System of a Down", based on a poem that Daron wrote.
Do the two bands have similar sounds?
Malakian co-produced System of a Down's albums with Rick Rubin, as well as albums by The Ambulance and Bad Acid Trip.
What ethnicity is Malakian?
Daron Vartan Malakian was born on July 18, 1975, in Hollywood, the only child to Vartan and Zepur Malakian, ethnic Armenian immigrants originally from Iraq.

Question: Did he have any formal training as a musician?
Self-contained rewrite: Did Daron Malakian have any formal training as a musician?