In his youth, Shavo used to spend his time skateboarding and listening to punk rock and heavy metal music. He started managing the band "Soil" with Malakian and Tankian in 1993 after meeting them in a recording studio. In 1995, Shavo became the permanent bassist of the band. They then named themselves "System of a Down" after a poem titled "Victims of a Down" authored by bandmate Daron Malakian.